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Re: A question on palatalization.

From:John Cowan <jcowan@...>
Date:Thursday, January 2, 2003, 22:03
Dirk Elzinga scripsit:

> If intervocalic voicing in Old English is due to Verner's Law,
AFAIK intervocalic voicing works in all (non-geminated) cases, not only in the special Verner's Law environment. In particular, since /z/ > /r/ in Germanic, VL gives us forms like lorn (lost=en) and were (was=e), but in the unchanged forms like choose we have [z], now /z/.
> then it had probably become lexicalized by the time that the cluster <sc> > became [S]. In which case, [S] would be immune from the voicing rule.
This is probably the actual explanation: voicing was dead by the time /sk/ > /S/. -- John Cowan jcowan@reutershealth.com At times of peril or dubitation, http://www.ccil.org/~cowan Perform swift circular ambulation, http://www.reutershealth.com With loud and high-pitched ululation.