1. Review: Germanic is one of the Indo-European family of languages

2. Main characteristics of Germanic which distinguish it from IE
The First Germanic Consonant Shift
Vowel gradation
Nominal reduction to a 4-case system
Verbal reduction to a 2-tense system
Innovation: weak & strong declensions of adjectives
Innovation: weak verbs with "dental" past suffix
Stress fixed on the root
A common distinctive vocabulary

3. Main characteristics of Germanic which distinguish it from IE
The First Germanic Consonant Shift
See 2nd-week material:
Indo-European stops at
The Neo-Grammarians at

4. First Germanic Consonant Shift- summary
Indo-European
Germanic
First series
p t k kw
f þ h hw
Second series
b d g gw
Third series
bh dh gh ghw

5. Main characteristics of Germanic which distinguish it from IE
The First Germanic Consonant Shift
Vowel gradation
Nominal reduction to a 4-case system
Verbal reduction to a 2-tense system
Innovation: weak & strong declensions of adjectives
Innovation: weak verbs with "dental" past suffix
Stress fixed on the root
A common distinctive vocabulary

6. 2 Vowel gradation
ablaut, hljóðskiptaröð: a set of internal vowel changes expressing different morphological functions.
In IE:
e-grade or full grade
o-grade
zero grade.
Remains today:
Mostly strong verbs:
ride rode ridden
sing sang sung
freeze froze frozen
fly flew flown

7. Main characteristics of Germanic which distinguish it from IE
The First Germanic Consonant Shift
Vowel gradation
Nominal reduction to a 4-case system
Verbal reduction to a 2-tense system
Innovation: weak & strong declensions of adjectives
Innovation: weak verbs with "dental" past suffix
Stress fixed on the root
A common distinctive vocabulary

8. 4 Nominal reduction to a 4-case system
Indo-European
Germanic
IE had eight cases
nom voc acc gen dat instr abl loc
3 numbers
singular dual plural
3 genders
masculine, feminine neuter
Germanic 4 cases
nom acc gen dat
Retained 3 numbers in pronouns
3 genders
masculine, feminine neuter

9. IE nominal cases nominative vocative accusative genitive dative
instrumental
ablative
locative

10. Germanic nominal cases
nominative
vocative
accusative
genitive
dative
instrumental
ablative
locative

11. Germanic nominal cases
nominative
nefnifall
accusative
þolfall
genitive
eignarfall
dative
þágufall
se dæg cymð – sá dagur kemur
that day will come
ic geman þone dæg - ég man þann dag
I remember that day
se nama þæs dæges– dagsins nafn
the name of the day – the day’s name
on þæm dæge – á þeim degi
on that day

12. Seo læfdige geaf þære cwene þæs cyninges hring
Frúin gaf drottningunni hring konungsins
The lady gave the queen the king’s ring
NOMINATIVE
subject
DATIVE
indirect object
given to whom?
GENITIVE
possession
ACCUSATIVE
direct object
what was given

13. Main characteristics of Germanic which distinguish it from IE
The First Germanic Consonant Shift
Vowel gradation
Nominal reduction to a 4-case system
Verbal reduction to a 2-tense system
Innovation: weak & strong declensions of adjectives
Innovation: weak verbs with "dental" past suffix
Stress fixed on the root
A common distinctive vocabulary

14. Other tenses are periphrastic:
4 Verbs: 2 tenses only
Present
non-time specified
Past
time orientated
it rains, old women are wise
it rained, Mary knew the answer
Other tenses are periphrastic:
it has rained, is raining, will rain, has been raining, etc

15. Main characteristics of Germanic which distinguish it from IE
The First Germanic Consonant Shift
Vowel gradation
Nominal reduction to a 4-case system
Verbal reduction to a 2-tense system
Innovation: weak & strong declensions of adjectives
Innovation: weak verbs with "dental" past suffix
Stress fixed on the root
A common distinctive vocabulary

16. 5 Innovation: weak & strong declensions of adjectives
ein guter Mann – der gute Mann
góður maður – góði maðurinn
án gód man – se góda man
See more on:

17. Main characteristics of Germanic which distinguish it from IE
The First Germanic Consonant Shift
Vowel gradation
Nominal reduction to a 4-case system
Verbal reduction to a 2-tense system
Innovation: weak & strong declensions of adjectives
Innovation: weak verbs with "dental" past suffix
Stress fixed on the root
A common distinctive vocabulary

18. 6 Innovation: weak verbs with "dental" past suffix
"weak" = regular verbs (bake baked)
"strong" = irregular verbs (sing sang sung)
development of a weak class of verbs with dental suffix (d/t) in past tense
hear heard, bake baked
heyra heyrði, baka bakaði

19. Main characteristics of Germanic which distinguish it from IE
The First Germanic Consonant Shift
Vowel gradation
Nominal reduction to a 4-case system
Verbal reduction to a 2-tense system
Innovation: weak & strong declensions of adjectives
Innovation: weak verbs with "dental" past suffix
Stress fixed on the root
A common distinctive vocabulary

20. 7 Stress fixed on the root
pitar
bhratar
fæder
bróðor
weakening of endings:
hringas > ringes > rings >
lufian > lufien > luvie >luve >
we lufodon > we lufeden
> we luvede >

21. Vowel weakening – further
Table base on Strang, p. 415
SINGULAR IE
Gmc Go
Ice OE
ModE
nominative
dhogos
ðagas
gads
dagr
dæg
day
accusative
dhoghom
ðagan
dag
genitive
dhogheso
ðagesa
dagis
dags
dæges
day’s
dative
dhogoai
ðagai
daga
degi
dæge
PLURAL
dhogoes
ðagoz
dagos
dagar
dagas
days
dhogoms
ðaganz
dagans
dhogeom
ðagon
dage
dhoghomos
ðagomoz
dagam
dögum
dagum

22. Main characteristics of Germanic which distinguish it from IE
The First Germanic Consonant Shift
Vowel gradation
Nominal reduction to a 4-case system
Verbal reduction to a 2-tense system
Innovation: weak & strong declensions of adjectives
Innovation: weak verbs with "dental" past suffix
Stress fixed on the root
A common distinctive vocabulary

23. 8 A common distinctive vocabulary
Examples of words only found in Germanic:
busk- > bush
dreug- > drýge > dry, drought
tap- > top, tap, tip (typpi)
wepnam > wæpen, vopn, weapon
Found in Germanic and Celtic:
brák- > OE bróc, plural bréc > breeches
Ice. brók