On The Mergers Of Latin Close-Mid Vowels

Leppaenen, Ville; Alho, Tommi (2018): On The Mergers Of Latin Close-Mid Vowels. In: Transactions of the Philological Society, Vol. 116, No. 3: pp. 460-483

Abstract

In this article, we examine the details and dating of the mergers of Latin i, e into e;and u;, o into o. While these mergers have long since been recognised as a matter of historical fact within the broader development of Latin into Romance, their micro-level mechanics present several problems. By re-examining the available evidence from various empirical and theoretical perspectives, we argue that the mergers were the result of two phonological processes: the rise of peripherality distinctions in the vowel system on the one hand and the loss of contrastive vowel length in the fifth century AD on the other.

• Item Type: Journal article
• Faculties: Languages and Literatures > Department 2
• Subjects: 400 Language > 400 Language
• ISSN: 0079-1636
• Language: English