Deseret Language and Linguistic Society Symposium

Volume 27 Issue 1 Article 4

3-23-2001

Evidence for Borrowing as the REason for Exceptions to the Spanish Sound Change f to h

David Riding

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BYU ScholarsArchive Citation Riding, David (2001) "Evidence for Borrowing as the REason for Exceptions to the Spanish Sound Change f to h," Deseret Language and Linguistic Society Symposium: Vol. 27 : Iss. 1 , Article 4. Available at: https://scholarsarchive.byu.edu/dlls/vol27/iss1/4

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Evidence for Borrowing as the Reason for Exceptions to the Spanish Sound Change fto h David Riding

ven though the Spanish sound change that distinguish Spanish from other from f to h in word initial, prevocalic Romantic languages (Iribarren-Argaiz 1998). Eposition has been declared "an irrefutable For example, Spanish hacer and Portuguese law of Spanish" (Garda de Diego, as cited by fazer both mean "to do," while Spanish horno Levy 1973, 205), there are still many Spanish and French fourneau both mean "oven." words that begin with f, such as familia, Word initial f did not change to h in every fastidioso, fortuna, femenino, etc. Scholars have situation, only when followed by a single generally explained these exceptions as bor­ vowel, so words beginning with fi-, jr-, fie-, rowings from other languages, mainly Latin or fue- did not change. l At first the h was (Corominas & Pascual, in Diccionario Critico like the h in English, but later even the h Etimol6gico Castellano e Hispdnico 1980, after­ dropped out to a silent letter, preserved sole­ wards referred to as DCECH; Blake 1988). ly in the orthography (Menendez Pida11956, But some linguists question the validity of 199). Although evidence of the sound change the exception argument, due to the lack of can be found in literature throughout the solid evidence. Blake warns about the possi­ first half of the second millennium (DCECH), bility of circular reasoning, "namely, that all the pivotal century was the 1300s, when the learned words preserve [f-], while all cases of new fea ture became an accepted part of f-preservation confirm the presence of a spoken Castilian Spanish, which would grow learned word" (1988, 53). However, two to be the dominant Spanish dialect (Blake types of evidence show the validity of the 1988). There are two prevailing theories conventional suggestion, that exceptions to as to why f went to h. The first is that this sound change are due to borrowing. Castilian changed under the influence of First, words preserving the f are usually cul­ a pre-Romantic language, most likely tural vocabulary, which is more susceptible Basque, which has no labio-dental phoneme to borrowing. Second, words not having / f/ (Penny 1991, 79-80). The second theory, undergone the change from f to h have gener­ stated by Spaulding, is language internal; ally not undergone any of the other Spanish thus: "It may stand for the evolution of a sound changes, meaning that these words bilabial f, which without difficulty becomes appeared in the language after the changes aspirate h by opening the lips, and which occurred. may have existed among the Romans"(1962, 90, emphasis by Spaulding). This phenomenon still occurs in many modern dialects, as fTO h native speakers are prone to pronounce The change from f to h in word initial words such as fuerte as juerte (Espinosa, as position is one of the main phonetic elements cited by Spaulding 1962, 91).

DLLS 2001 24 DAVID RIDING

(oven), humo (smoke), honda (sling), haba BORROWED WORDS PRESERVING f (a kind of bean), hacer (to do, to make), Penny (1991) and Patterson (1982) hablar (to speak), harina (flour), hacha (ax), show three ways Spanish has received herramienta (tool), hervir (to boil), hebilla vocabulary from Latin. First, from popu­ (buckle), heder (to stink), and hosca (dark) larisms: words descended directly from (Fernandez de Santaella 1744). The words Latin, used continually throughout the that not only preserve the fbut are almost centuries. Second, from learned, or bor­ identical to the Latin do not adhere to rowed, words: whenever the Spaniards Crowley'S definition of basic vocabulary, needed a word for a new concept (gener­ meaning they are more cultural, or con­ ally a nonmaterial aspect of life) they ceptual: fabricar (to manufacture, to would find it in the Latin literature and make), fdcil (easy), fdbula (fable), falso copy it almost exactly. If these words, (false, in a lying manner), fama (fame), such as feliz, fugaz, fdbula, and formar, familia (family), fecundo (fertile), fertil were copied after the sound change from (fertile), feliz (happy), feria (holiday), feroz f to h, they retain the f. Any difference (ferocious), fiar (to trust), fe (faith), figura between the Latin word and its borrowed (figure), fUnebre (pertaining to a funeral Spanish reflex will only be in the ending, or death), fortuna (fortune), and firmeza which is sometimes modified to fit (strength, steadfastness) (Fernandez de Spanish morphology. Third, Spanish has Santaella 1744). received vocabulary from semi learned Of this second list, Patterson says that words, which were learned from oral falso, fe, feria, and fiar are all genetic Vulgar Latin. They are words heard in words, not borrowed (1982, 21). Since such places as church or law courts, they preserve f but are not borrowed, words such as fallecer, fe, feria, and falso. they are semilearned words, taken from Cultural vocabulary is much more verbal Vulgar Latin. According to Penny, likely to be borrowed than basic vocabu­ these words should have religious or lary. Cultural vocabulary includes legal significance, which they do. Fe and culture-specific and conceptual words, fiar both come from the same root, fides, while basic vocabulary "includes items meaning "faith." In accordance with the such as pronouns, numerals, body parts, definition of semi learned words, they geographical features, basic actions, and have gone through some sound changes basic states" (Crowley 1997, 171-72). but not all (they preserve the j) (Penny They are words like head, man, woman, 1991, 32). Although feria shows no sound flour, string, etc. About 30% of the Latin change from the Latin, it does have a words in Vocabularium seu lexicon ecclesi­ definite religious history. Its original defi­ asticum, Latino-Hispanicum (Fernandez de nition was "holiday," many of which Santaella 1744) have common reflexes in were religious. Then the name feria was modern Spanish and are of the type that applied to every day of the week, first to would be susceptible to the f to h change. replace the names of pagan gods (such as Of these, about half showed a transfor­ el Sol and la Luna y Martes) and also to mation of f to h and half did not.2 The remind ecclesiastical workers that every items that show the change, meaning day should be used for religious devo­ they descend directly from Latin and are tion. Portuguese preserves the word feria not borrowed, can all be classified as in the names of the days of the week basic vocabulary. Al though not an (Fernandez de Santaella 1744). Although exhaustive list, these are some good it is a limited subset, this data corre­ examples (in Spanish, not Latin): sponds with Penny's description of the higo (fig), hincar (to nail, fasten), hilo three types of Latinisms in Spanish: (string), hoja (leaf), hormiga (ant), horno popularisms, which have gone through EVIDENCE FOR BORROWING PS THE REASON FOR EXCEPTIONS 10 THE SPANISH SOUND CHANGE f 10 h 25 the sound changes, are basic vocabulary; "weariness, monotony, an aversion, semilearned words, which show some loathing" (Diamond 1961). Both Spanish but not all sound changes, are generally words have meanings close to their com­ religious vocabulary; and learned words, mon root (Peers et al. 1960). In the early which show little sound change, are seventeenth century, 3 fastidio carried this less-concrete vocabulary. same meaning, but hastlo had an addi­ tional, more specific meaning in every­ day Spanish-having little desire to eat WORDS WITH f LACK OTHER and the abhorrence of food because of SOUND CHANGES an upset stomach (de Covarrubias 1943). In addition to this semantic evidence, This would seem similar to the way we there is also phonetic evidence that use the word fastidious in English, which many words were borrowed. There are is the characteristic of being hard to many pairs of words in Spanish that are please because of previous experience in similar in definition and phonetic form the area (Oxford English Dictionary 2001). and can both be traced to the same Latin The first instance of hastlo in literature root, such as hablar and fabular, both was in 1495, while fastidio appeared in from the Latin fiibulare. The difference 1251 (Corominas 1967). The word between the words in each pair is that hastioso, an adjectival form, was later one preserves the f while the other has replaced by fastidioso (DCECH). changed from f to h and undergone the Fastidium went through many other relevant sound changes that changes to become hastlo4: occurred in Spanish. Step-by-step analy­ fastfdi:um --> fastfdi:u-word-final m sis of the changes in the h-words demon­ is eliminated in La tin by strates how the f-preserving words lack first century Be (Penny these changes, haVing a form almost 1991,74) identical to the Latin. If these words had fastfdi:u --> fastidio-vowelleveling preserved the f for a reason other than from classical Latin to borrowing, they would not so systemati­ Vulgar Latin (syllable call y lack the other sound changes as final u becomes 0) well. This lack of change shows that they (Resnick 1981, 47) appeared in Spanish after the changes fastidio --> fastiyo-dy (a stop took place. I will present six such pairs, followed by a palatal giving present and past definitions, glide) becomes just the etymologies, and derivations. The defini­ palatal glide tions help show that the word in each fastiyo ---> fastlo-y in contact with e pair that has changed, for example hablar or i is deleted (Resnick in the case of hablar and fabular, is a more 1981,67) basic vocabulary item than the word that fastio ---> hasUo-fis converted to h was borrowed at a later time. Citations on derivations refer to sound change rules; the derivations are my own. Each hijo, filial change is in the correct chronological Hijo and filial are not exact cognates, order as far as my sources specify, but but they do have the same root, so they some are uncertain. can be used to show how hijo has changed over time. Hijo, meaning "son" fastidio, hastio or "child" descends from filLu, the Latin The Spanish words fastidio and hasUo word for the same concept, while filial both trace their origins back to the Latin (same as the English word filial) is an word fastidium (DCECH), meaning adaptation of filial is, meaning "befitting a 26 DAVID RIDING

son" or "filial" (Diamond 1961, 58; 1817, which explains why de Covarrubias DCECH, 359; Peers et al. 1960, 424, 475). makes no mention of it (DCECH). The English definition of filial from the Here is the transformation from OED is "of or pertaining to a son or jUmrgare to humear: daughter."s Filial was in use by then, meaning "that which pertains to the son, jUmrgare --> jUmryare-between like filial love" (de Covarrubias 1943, vowels, g (like other 595). We can see the sound change f to h voiced stops) is taking place as we find examples of jijo weakened to y, a voiced (1100 AD) and hijo (1062) occurring velar fricative around the same time (Corominas 1967). jUmryare --> jUmrare-Ydrops out Hijo came to its present form in this completely (Harris­ manner: Northall1990,7-10). jUmrare --> fumeare-l > e in jilru--> jiJ.o-I palatalized before a unstressed position, other glide (the r) (and the same u vowels level to a change) fumeare --> humeare-f to h jiJ.o--> jiyo-J. becomes the humeare ---> hum ear-final e is semivowelj dropped (Penny 1991, jiyo--> hiyo-this positioning is 96-97). uncertain hiyo--> hiso-in the twelfth century, hembra, feminino y goes to S This is another example where the hi30--> hifo-zh sound goes to a sh hifo--> hixo-in the sixteenth two words do not come from exactly the same word bu t from the same root. century, the sh becomes the velar fricative Hembra is from Latin femrna (a female, a woman), and femenino is from the adjec­ hixo-> hijo-no sound change, just tive jemrnfnus (feminine) (Diamond 1961). a change in orthography (Resnick 1981, 39) Current Spanish defines hembra as a "female animal or plant" and only humear, fumigar vulgarly as a woman (Peers et al. 1960). In the seventeenth century, the word The Latin word jUmrgare (to smoke) was commonly applied to any type of has given Spanish the words humear and female, human, animal, or vegetable (de fumigar (Diamond 1961; DCECH). Humear Covarrubias 1943). Femenino simply has descended from the original Latin means "feminine" in the present day and means basically the same thing: "to (Peers et al. 1960), but de Covarrubias has smoke, emit smoke, fumes, or vapors." no earlier definition of it. Hembra, which Fumigar was borrowed later from Latin has been used throughout the centuries and is similar to the English fumigate: "to since Latin, was first recorded in its fumigate, smoke, fume, purify, or medi­ present form in the late twelfth century. ate by vapors" (Peers et al. 1960, 483, We do not see femenino until 1438. 437). De Covarrubias does not mention either of these words but does define femrna --> femna-vowels in humo, "smoke" (noun), the same way we syllables next to stressed do today. He also notes that perfumar and vowels (the e is stressed in perfume come from the same root (1943).6 this case) that are adjacent Humear first appeared in literature in the to r or 1, or sometimes s or mid-thirteenth century (humo appeared n, tend to drop out; this in 1088). Fumigar came much later, in does not happen to EVIDENCE FOR BORROWING fJS THE REASON FOR EXCEPTIONS 10 THE SPANISH SOUND CHANGE f 10 h 27

vowels that begin or end for both good and cowardly reasons. In words the seventeenth century, fugitivo had a femna---> femra-dissimilation of m narrower definition, as it generally and n referred to an escaped slave (who could femra--> fembra-epenthesis be found because he was walking in (adding a consonant) to irons). Fugaz, which used to just mean break up a difficult cluster something with the condition to flee, like (Resnick 1981, 71-72) a rabbit, came to mean "fleeting" when it fembra--> hembra-f to h was applied poetically to things lik~ time and ages (de Covarrubias 1943). HUlr was If femmino had descended from Latin recorded with an initial f as early as 1054 and not been borrowed later it would and with an initial h in 1490. Fugaz was not have retained the i between the m recorded in literature in 1580 (Corominas and the n, which itself causes a lot more 1967). changes. The changes that have occurred How to get huir from fugere: in femenino can be explained thus: fugere --> fug/re-documented Vulgar jem'in lnus --> femeninus-t goes to e Latin (DCECH, 614) in Vulgar Latin fug1re --> fuyire-g before e or i goes to y femeninus --> femenino-borrowings fuyire --> fuire-y before e or i drops out tend to modify (Resnick 1981,67) endings to fit the fuire --> fuir-final e drops off (Penny language (Penny 1991, 1991,97) 96,210). fuir --> huir-f to h huir, fugitivo The presence of the g in words like fugitivo and refugio shows they were Huir, "to flee, to escape" descends borrowed at a later time. from Latin fugi!re, meaning "to flee, to flee away from" (Peers et a1. 1960, 483; habla, tflbula DCECH, 422; Diamond 1961, 61). Both of these words are directly related Fugitivo, "fugitive, runaway," and other to the Latin jiibula, "conversation; story words such as fugaz (fleeting, volatile) without a guaranteed history." They are and refugio (refuge) all come from the related to hablar and fabular, which same root as fugi!re: fugio (Peers et a1. descend from fiibulare, which means 1960, 437; Llaur6 Padrosa 1957, 263). "to talk, to converse" (DCECH, 296; Fugio is also the root of the musical term Diamond 1961, 56). Afdbula is a "fable, fugue, which in Italian means "flight," legend, fiction, storytale," w~ich is o~e alluding to the feeling of the music (OED part of the Latin fiibula, while habla IS 2001). The specific word borrowed into "speech, language, idiom, dialect," the Spanish for fugitivo is fugitlvus (Llaur6 other part of the definition. In addition to Padrosa 1957, 263). Huir has been elevat­ being consistent with what we think of as ed a bit since the time of de Covarrubias. a fable, in the seventeenth century, favula Roughly translated, he says huir "com­ also meant "the rumor and talk of the monly denotes cowardliness in the town," or the gossip it seems. It was military, unless one is trying to trick the "something wi thou t foundation" (de enemy or the enemy is so powerful he Covarrubias 1943, 579). This gives new has no chance. Even in these situations insight on what Paul means when he many will stay, preferring to die in battle says, "And they shall turn away their than to flee" (1943, 704). Now "fleeing" ears from the truth, and shall be turned has a more general sense; it may be done 28 DAVID RIDING

unto fables" (2 Tim. 4:4). Hablar, which the time of its printing. The Fernandez used to be a transitive word, was first de Santaella dictionary is used to give used in literature in 1492. We can first see definitions closer to what would have faoula in a book from 1438 AD (DCECH). been in use when the sound change was completed. fobula --> fabla-u is deleted for the same reason as the i in 3. All seventeenth century definitions are from De Covarrubias, Tesoro de la femina: it is near a stressed Lengua Castellana 0 Espanola, which was syllable and next to an I originally written in 161l. fabla --> habla-f to h (Penny 1991, 96) 4. The transcriptions of the sound changes are done mostly according to The presence of the u in faoula shows Spanish orthography. For example, y is us that it is a learned word. used for a palatal approximant, which is j in IPA (the International Phonetic CONCLUSION Alphabet). IPA is used when there is no letter available, namely, 1.. for a palatallat­ Although there is some disagreement eral approximant, 3 for a zh sound, and f among scholars as to the source of words for an sh sound. that preserve an f at the beginning 5. Although his older definition of hijo despite the rule that f went to h, evidence is the same as it is currently, de is available that these words are a result Covarrubias gives us some interesting of borrowing. Words that preserve the f insight into his view of what a son really are generally cultural words, which are is, calling a child "what binds the love of more likely to be borrowed, and those its parents, as both agree to love it" (1943, which have undergone the sound change 689). are mostly basic vocabulary. Also, words 6. The OED explains the development beginning withfhave not undergone any of this concept in English: originally of the other sound changes in Spanish, perfume meant pleasant odorous fumes showing they were introduced into the given off by burning something such as language after these changes had incense. The word eventually came to occurred. Further research could apply mean any odor emitted in particle form these same methods to other Spanish by a sweet-smelling substance. sound changes to see whether their exceptions are also a result of borrowing. REFERENCES

NOTES Blake, Robert J. (1988). Sound change and linguistic 1. f could not have gone to h in the residue: The case of [f-] > [h-] > [0]. In Georgetawn times of Vulgar Latin because that is University round table on languages and linguistics. 53-62. Washington, D.C.: Georgetown University when e > ie and 0 > ue. This change to diphthongs had to happen before f went Press. to h or else words with diphthongs today The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. (1990). would have experienced the sound Holy Bible. Salt Lake City, UT. change as well (Menendez Pidal 1956, Corominas, Joan. (1967). Breve diccionario etimologico de la 200). lengua Castellana - Segunda edicion. Madrid: Editorial 2. The Dictionary of Liturgical Latin Gredos. (Diamond 1961) shows an even greater Corominas, Joan, and Jose A. Pascual. (1980). Diccionario percentage of words with initial f, since critico etimologico CastellmlO e Hisptinico (Vols. I & III). many more words had been borrowed by Madrid: Editorial Gredos.

j EVIDENCE FOR BORROWING AS THE REASON FOR EXCEPTIONS 10 THE SPANISH SOUND CHANGE f 10 h 29

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