The Consonants (Grimm’s and Verner’s Law)
We will discuss the subject but briefly. The most noticeable correspondences of English and German, and of English and Latin and Greek, are those included under Grimm’s Law and Verner’s modification of it.
Grimm’s Law may be most briefly stated as follows:
Take the following series of mutes:
Dentals d t dh d
Labials b p bh b
Palatals g k gh g
Velars gw qu ghw gw
Then, if a native English and a Latin or Greek word go back to the same original, where the Latin or Greek word has any letter of the above series, the native English word will have the one following.
This law is subject to some regular special modifications in the different languages. German has often shifted one step further than English and this has regularly taken place in the dental series. Teutonic t becoming German z or s. Teutonic p is usually German f. The following tables show the principal correspondences in the languages in which we are most interested:
ARYAN GREEK LATIN GOTHIC A. S. ENG. O.H.G. GERMAN
Ddeem dka decem taihun ten ten zehan zehn
duo duo duo twai twa two zwei nt. zwei
dakru dakru lacrima tagr tear tear zahar Zhre
lingua tuggo tunge tongue zunga Zunge
domos domus tam tame zam zahm
dnt, dont odonta (acc.)dentem(acc.) tunthus toth tooth zan(d) Zahn
edo drein (flay) getairan teran tear (vb.) firzeran zehran
edo edo itan etan eat ezzan essen
pod, ped- poda (acc.) pedem fotus fot foot fuoz Fuss
v(e)id oida, idein videre wait wat wot wizzan wissen
sed- hzomia sedeo sitan sittan sit sizzen sitzen
kard- kardia cordem kairto heorte heart herza Herz
swad- hadus suavis *swotus swete sweet suozi süss
sw(o)id- hidros sudor *swaid swat sweat sweiz Schweiss
udra hudra unda *utrs otor otter ottar Otter
Tteg,- tog- tgos tegere, toga *thak thaec thatch dah Dach
tn,- ten- teino tenuis thunnus thynne thin dunni dünn
treyes treis tres thrija, threis* hreo three dri drei
tu tu, su tu thu thou du du
ten, ton- tonos tonare *thunara thunor thunder donor Donner
esti esti est ist is is ist ist
ARYAN GREEK LATIN GOTHIC A.S. ENG. O.H.G. GERMAN
str- stornnumi sterno straujan streowian strew strewen Streu
sta- histami stare standan standan stand sten stehen Stand
pet- ptomai penna *fithra fether feather fedara Feder
mrt- brotos mortem morthor murder mord Mord
DHdh(o)igh teichos fi(n)gere deigan dah dough teic(g) Teig
dhe,- dho- tithemi feel, condo taujan don do tuon thun
dhur- thura foris (pl.) daurons(pl.) duru door turi (pl.) thür
eruthros ruber rauths read red rot rot
udhr outhar uber uder udder utar Euter
medhyos ms(s)os medius midjis midd mid mitte Mitte
wrdho- verbum waurd word word wort Wort
widhewa aitheos vidua widuwo widuwe widow wituwa Wittwe
B turba turba thaurp thorp thorp dorf Dorf
labi slepan slaepan sleep slafan Schlaf
hupnos somnus
Ppater pater pater fadar (rare) faeder father fater Vater
per,- por- poros peritus faran faran fare faran fahren
porkos (porkos) porcus *farha- fearh farrow farah Ferkel
pu puon pus fuls ful foul ful foul
pel plla pellis fill fell fell (hide) fell fell
ped- pda pedica feter fetters fezzil Fessel
plu- pleuso (fut.) pluo fl(i)utan fleotan fleet fliozzan fliessen
polos pullus fula fold foal folo Fohlen
penqe pnte quinque fimf fif five funf fünf
peku pecus faihu feoh fee fihu Vieh
skapto skaban(b=v) sceafan shave scaben schaben
hupr super ufar ofar over ubir tiber
apo apo ab af of of, off aba ab
BHbhro phro fero gubatran beran bear giberan gebren
bheu phuo fui, fio beo be bin bin
bhrator phrator frater brothar brothor brother bruodar Bruder
phagos fagus *boka boc, bece beech buohha Buche
bhrewa ophrus bru brow brawa Braue
bhru findere beitan bitan bite bizzan beissen
phlegein flagrare *blikan blaec black blecchassen Blitz
flos bloma,blostm blom bloom bluoma Blum
blossom
phami phaton fari bann ban ban (n) Bann
fiber *bibrus beofor beaver bibar Biber
grapho *kairfan ceorfan carve kerben
glubh- glupho glubo *kl(i)uban cleofan cleave chlioban klieben
l(e)ubh- lubet liufs leof lief liob lieb
Ggno,- gen- gignosko nosco kunnan cnawan know chunnan können
cunnian can
gnos genus kuni cynn kin chunni Kind
gonu genu kniu cneo knee chniu Knie
geuo gustus kiusan ceosan choose chiosan kiesen
amlgo mulgere *milkan melcan milk melchan melken
wrg, werg e(i)rgo urgeo wrikan wrecan wreak rehhan rchen
ego ego ego ik ic I ih ich
frangere brikan brecan break brehhan brechen
stig-ma instigare sticca stick steccho Stecken
Kcrntom hekaton centum hund hundret hundred hundert Hundert
kr, ker kras cornu haurn horn horn horn. Horn
krd- kardia cordem hairto heorte heart herza Herz
ARYAN GREEK LATIN GOTHIC A.S. ENG. O.H.G. GERMAN
kuon canis hunds hund hound hunt Hund
caput haubith heafod head houbit Haupt
kratus hardus heard hard hart hart
klutos inclutus *hluda hlud loud lut laut
capio hafjan hebban heave hebban heben
klino inclinare hlinian lean
octo okto octo ahtau eahta eight ahto acht
orektos rectus raiths reoht right reht recht
keimai civis hyf hive
GH chortos hortus garda geard yard garto Garten
ghans- chan (h)anser *gans gos goose gans Gans
cholos fel *gallo gealla gall galla Galle
ghel- chloa helvus geolo yellow gelo Gelb
chaino hiare ganian yawn
ghyes- chs hesternus gistradagis gistrandaeg yesterday gesteron gestern
wegh- ochos veho gawigan waegen wain wegan wegen
GW geranos grus cran crane cranuh Kranich
genus gena kinnus cin chin chinni Kinn
guna qino cwn queen
gelu kalds c(e)ald cold kalt kalt
jugwom zugon jugum juk geoc yoke joh Joch
augeo aukan eacan eke ouhhon auch
teg- tog- tgos tegere, toga *thak thaec thatch dah Dach
gwios bios vivus qius cwicu quick chec keck
gwem- baino venio qiman cuman come cheuman kommen
Qq(e)rt kurtia crates haurds *hyrd hurdle hurt(di) Hurde
qreu- kras cruor *hrawa hrea raw ro roh
karpos carpo haerfest harvest herbist Herbst
kolonos collis hallus hyll hill
ogkos ancus kals-agga angul angle angul Angel
leukos lucere liuhath loht light lioht licht
kaleo calare *gehalian hale holon holen
akouo (cavere?) hausjan heran hear horen hören
kalamos calamus healm halm halm Halm
qo,- qe- pote quod hvas hwaet what waz was
seq- hpomai sequor saihwan seon see sehan sehen
penqe pnte quinque fimf fif five funf fünf
penqtos pmptos quintis fimfta fifta fifth fimfto fünfte
qetuer- ttteres quattuor fidwor feower four fior vier
wlqo- lukos (lupus) wulfs wulf wolf wolf Wolf
GHWghwostis hostis gasts gest guest gast Gast
stighw steicho vestigium steigan stigan style stigan steigan
lchos (lectus) ligan licgan lie ligan liegen
ghever- thermos formus *warms warm warm warm warm
onuchos (gen.) unguis *nagls naegel nail nagal Nagel
There is one class of words which Grimm’s law does not explain. For instance, why Greek kratús, A. S. heard, English hard, German hart. To cover such exceptions, Karl Verner, in 1875, formulated a law which may be roughly stated as follows:
The Aryan surds (or tenues, t, p, k, s,) if they do not follow the accent undergo a second shifting in Teutonic, i e., to d, b, g, r.
Examine the following examples:
ARYAN GREEK LATIN GOTHIC A.S. ENG. O.H.G. GERMAN
kratus hardus heard hard hart hart
pater pater fader faeder father fater Vater
klutos inclutus *hluda hlud loud lut laut
A. S. risan, ¯ *rasjan ¯ raeran rear