Louisiana State University LSU Digital Commons LSU Historical Dissertations and Theses Graduate School 1940 A Study of Consonantal Dissimilation in English. Ernest Smith Clifton Louisiana State University and Agricultural & Mechanical College Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalcommons.lsu.edu/gradschool_disstheses Recommended Citation Clifton, Ernest Smith, "A Study of Consonantal Dissimilation in English." (1940). LSU Historical Dissertations and Theses. 7829. https://digitalcommons.lsu.edu/gradschool_disstheses/7829 This Dissertation is brought to you for free and open access by the Graduate School at LSU Digital Commons. It has been accepted for inclusion in LSU Historical Dissertations and Theses by an authorized administrator of LSU Digital Commons. For more information, please contact [email protected]. MANUSCRIPT THESES Unpublished theses submitted for the master*s and doctor’s degrees and deposited in the Louisiana State University Library are available for inspection* Use of any thesis is limited by the rights of the author* Bibliographical references may be noted* but passages may not be copied unless the author has given permission* Credit must be given in subsequent written or published work* A library which borrows this thesis for use by its clientele is expected to make sure that the borrower is aware of the above res trietions * LOUISIANA STATF; UNIVERSITY LIBRARY 119-a 4 study of Dto&imXtotXon to Bogkloli I&moat $mlt& Clifton* &u a « a Dlsaert&fclon Preedited to t&© Graduate Faculty a t fcfca Loulalaxm &ta%® XMtoorotoy and Agricultural and Mooh&ntcal Collado to Partial FulJfiXlmmt of tha Ho qulraajanfcs for tfoo Degree of Doetor of PfcXXoaopiiy UMI Number: DP69207 All rights reserved INFORMATION TO ALL USERS The quality of this reproduction is dependent upon the quality of the copy submitted. 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Box 1346 Ann Arbor, Ml 48106- 1346 R9499 51 TO HX ilOTmH ( 9^0 34-6sI ;> C _ . 2 _ AGmO.miDGUi Hi In making this study I am particularly Indebted to Dr, N* 11* Caffee, Assistant Professor of n^llsh at Louisiana State University, who has ^iven generously of bis time and advloei to Dr* W* A* Head, Professor of mulish Lanjua^e and Literature at Louisiana State University, whose reedy counsel has boon Invaluable to me; to ^r* II* B* Woolf, Assistant Professor of relish at Louisiana utate University, who has ^Iven me many helpful sii^^estlons; and to Br* a* A. Hill, associate Professor of mulish at the University of Virginia, who f lx'st ou^estod to me a etuuy of cllselailatlon* & ? g f l *im ! t iI H t 1 i H & Ht f6IH | a t§ N H « H 5 5 f 8 1 . H B H H H H n <«*N HN m H 2£22g ?j£&$S § HP ©lb aTfoContents f f f t T m v f s g 2 8 a u a s ay E 9 * UJr| U£»f }«| p i q n t JO£CS v- •gQbb £ o c o c C O *OOC&3«3 *O»C0 C Q lD CC H O ^ G O H H h $S « OCoto&c ssOm 50 CiHH CHAPTER X Introduction section I~Previous Work Because dissimilation accounts for a relatively small number of sound changes In Bngllah* it has received only passing attention* It is not at all unusual to find that in an Historical grammar of im&llsh* dissimilation is dismissed with a footnote or* at best* with a paragraph* The subject* though* has been tavern more study in other languages* particularly In Hellenic* Romance* and several non-Indo-:uropean families* In 1096 Crasraant published Dr dissimilation oonaonantlque dans les leagues lndo-europeonnea et "dans les leagues romance* in which for the first tints a substantial body of words affected by dissimilation was collected and discussed* Crammont attempted the perhaps impossible feat of so ordering dlasimilatory tendencies that they ml^ht be stated according to prescribed laws* In 1907 his "Botes stir la Dissimilation" appeared* These notes* oiving a further treatment of dissimilation by adding words to the list that had already been forumluted for the earlier work* were written in answer to ?>.* A* Hevue des Lansnes uamanas. vol* 60 ?1Q07J* pp*273-310* s Thomas *s Kssals do Fhllologle frsnpalse (1079) , Melanges d fetraolo^le franpAlae (1902), and ffauveaux Bsaals da Phliolo&lc franpalse (1903)* Orammont, In M b later Tralt^ de Phone tlaus (1933), relists these cases end collects and classifies numerous other examples* In none of these studies is 'nullah represented* Thurnsysen gives a discussion of dissimilation in his article * id. sslmlla tlon und Analogic,"2 though no mention of mulish is made* Thurneysen here challenges Bru^maxm’s claim that dissimilation seems irregular In nature and that it cannot be brought Into conformity with laws of sound changef he himself claims that dissimilation is a regular sound change sad that apparent irregularities can be explained as a result of the force of analogy* Albert Jt Camay in "The Heal Nature of D1 ssimllation"^discusses at length the carious attempts that have boon made to explain the process of dissimilation, attempts by linguists and psychologists* None of these, however, does he consider satisfactory* He himself has elaborated a theory which will be discussed in some detail in the next section of this work* Ho case of dissimilation 8. Zeltaohrlft ^ r j rertJ.«lohond» rgrao^oAohupK, vol. 44 S. TAPA. volfxiJDt (loie), pp. 101-118. 3 in English, is treated here* la 1956 Holanu G» Kent published his article "Assimilation ani Lisslmilution*Here ho claims that dissimilation is a more or lees regular sound change* that ita direction ia normally regressive* and that exceptions to that normal direction can be accounted for by e consideration or the soman tic and etymological value of certain word-elements* Hoi the r does Kent consider dissimilation in English* There have boon some articles* though* devoted entirely to the study or dissimilation in English* The first of these was one In 1005 by Gregor sarraain*^ who made a study of vowel dissimilation by collecting words in which the die simile tory influence of w prevented the development of a HE o-sound Into the expected u-sound of Hod* English* (See Appendix IV)* George Ilenpl in 1095 presented ® a list of words taken from his own dialect of southern Michigan In which r seems to be lost through dissimilefcoxy elision* Hie examples are all taken from Modem hJLish* and dissimilation is evident* of course* in pronunciation* not In spelling* 4* .ua^o, vol. 18* pp. 845-258. 5* wvocall»che Dissimilation lm Mlttelengllsohon** ffisUggbg stjudj,.*, vox »o » pp. „ •• "Lo«» or v u m u l l a h through . lesiallc.tlaa," Dialsot wSptm. vol. 1, pp. 279-201. 4 m 1917 Am Goods11 published in M s article "Distant Dissimilation”7 ft collection or peroonul-aiiid plaoeHAatssa showing dissimilation. These names are all taken from Yorkshire and arc, In ocm^p&rlson with other plaoe-end personal-name a showing dissimilation presented In the body of this work* few in mudher. The most extensive study of consonantal dissimilation in h^liah was made by Dduard Kokhcrdt in A 1938* Here we havo for the first tine any etaeable oolle etlon of n^liob words showing disoimilatory change or loss. Dokhardtfs list, though* la by no mean® oomplete* no this treatment will demonstrate* It is also to nkhordt that we owe a study of 0 rm^lieh words showing vowel &is©IataiX0 tlom. xhie collection, published In 1S39, may be considered as the ccaapjnlon pieoe to the article of 1933• Brief notices of dissimilation are ,JLvon In many linguistic works* lmost Invariably they occur incidentally to discussions of regulur sound developments« Practically all linguists include material on dissimilation In works whose subjects arc of larger scope* oi tho shorter articles dealing with dissimilation or some of Its 7. ffigsm z m i f c i A ‘Spxisa» y°j* }?> pi** 1 0 -2 3 . B. "Dio Ik>nconantlscdic Assim ilation lxa iiolisckon,11 Aavilla* vol. 62, pp. 01-99* 9* "tile vokclleohe issimllation lm ngAi&ahm** DcuJLlgohe Gtudion* vol. 73 (1939), pp. 161-179. featurea bibliography at tbo end or fchla treatment w f be consulttd* « cotton 3-~Qhnr«cfcor of di a-o toilet Ion Xbe phenomenon oi’ dissimilation# because of Its very nature# presents an interesting ana important study to the linguist* Although it appears loss fre ^uontly then Use kindred sound change assimilation# it is characterised by xaoro variety and complexity* iho study or dissimilation cannot l>- limited to tbs o one leers 11cm or aoo isolated change* Tor it is concerned with many sound changes* It helps to explain or Is explained by many linguistic phenomena# All categories of phonemes are in cone way subject to dissimilation# often In most divex*se positions and under most vuriud conditions* Aiociiailatla, is# than# a law which is at onco quite elusive and definitely instructive* Xbal which probably renders dissimilation so elusive is the fact that any attempt to define It must take into account certain fundamental facts end relationships which combine to make It as much a matter of psychology as of linguistics* Although psychology probably enters Into the causes for any linguistic phenomenon# there la perhapc no sound change# w&Lh the possible exception oX assimilation# so Uaponciont on psychology