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    Lenition of s in Gaulish?


    Stifter, David (2012) Lenition of s in Gaulish? In: The Sound of Indo-European: Phonetics, Phonemics, and Morphophonemics. Museum Tusculanum Press, University of Copenhagen, pp. 523-544. ISBN 9788763538381

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    Abstract

    Through all periods of Gaulish, viz. Early, Middle and Late Gaulish, the sibilants is amply attested in word-initial, word-medial and word-final po-sition in the vernacular language material. Therefore it is inadmissible to assume a general rule of "lenition" of s (i.e. aspiration or loss). A close ex-amination of the material reveals, however, that a set of very specific rules of s-deletion operated on the language: first, loss of sin word-initial posi-tion in proclitics; secondly, loss of s in the onset of second syllables when the first syllable also started with s; thirdly, assimilation of s to resonants. These three rules probably operated at the Common Celtic stage. A fourth rule, the optional weakening and loss of word-finals affected Gaulish from the Middle Gaulish period onwards and is a development not shared by Vulgar Latin of the time.

    Item Type: Book Section
    Keywords: Lenition of s; Gaulish;
    Academic Unit: Faculty of Arts,Celtic Studies and Philosophy > School of Celtic Studies > Early Irish (Sean Ghaeilge)
    Item ID: 14055
    Depositing User: Prof. David Stifter
    Date Deposited: 22 Feb 2021 12:04
    Publisher: Museum Tusculanum Press
    Refereed: Yes
    URI:
      Use Licence: This item is available under a Creative Commons Attribution Non Commercial Share Alike Licence (CC BY-NC-SA). Details of this licence are available here

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