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The Pamphlet Collection of Sir Robert Stout: Volume 6

Vowels broken by e or I

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Vowels broken by e or I.

In some languages we find that certain vowels are modified by an inherent ĕ, or, as some say, by i. The vowels most liable to this modification are a, o, u.

The a, with an inherent e, becomes German ä, as in väter, very nearly the same sound as in the English substantive bear. O, by the same influence, takes the German sound of ö in König, or that of the French eu in peu. U, in German, becomes ü, the French u in jurer.

To many organs these sounds are so troublesome that they are sometimes avoided altogether, as in English. Their pronunciation varies in different dialects; and the German ä sounds in some places like e, the French ü like u.

If we remember how the simple vowel sounds were represented by Kempelen in a mathematical progression according to the amount of aperture of the throat and lips required for their formation, we shall see that what takes place, if an a is changed to ae, an o to oe, and an u to ue, is in each case a diminution of the guttural aperture. While the pure a is formed by 5 degrees of labial and 3 degrees of guttural aperture, the ae is produced by 5 degrees of labial, but only 1 degree of guttural aperture. Thus, in the pronunciation of oe, the labial aperture remains at 2 degrees, and in the pronunciation of ue at 1 degree; but in either case the guttural aperture is respectively reduced from 4 degrees and 5 degrees to 1 degree. We may, therefore, represent the broken vowels (Grimm's Umlaut) in the following manner:—

ae=V. 1; oe=II. 1; ue=I. 1.

There is one class of languages, the Tataric, where these broken sounds are of frequent occurrence, and of great importance. The "harmony of vowels " which pervades these dialects would be lost page 25 altogether (as it is, to a great extent, if Tataric languages are written with Arabic letters), unless to these vowels a distinct category were assigned. Besides the broken or softened a, o, and u, the Tataric languages have a fourth vowel, a softening of the i, which we hear in "will." Thus we have, in Yakute:
Hard vowels a, o, i, u. Heavy vowels a, ä, o, ö,
Soft vowels ä, ö, ï, ü. Light vowels i, ï, u, ü.

All the vowels in a Yakute word depend on the first. If the first is hard, all following vowels must be hard; if soft, all become soft. Again, if the vowel of one syllable is heavy, that of the next can only be the same heavy vowel, or its corresponding light vowel. If it is light, that of the next syllable must be the same light vowel, or its corresponding heavy vowel. For instance, if the first syllable of a word has a, the next can only have a or i; if ä ä or ï; if o, o or u; if ö, ö or ü.

The vowels would, therefore, come under the following physiollogical categories:—
Guttural a, short, as in Sam; long, as in psalm.
Guttural ŏ, O short, as in work long, as in cur(?)
Guttural ĕ, O short, as in bird long, as in cur(?)
Palatal i short, as in knit; long as in neat.
Labial u short, as in full; long as in fool.
Gutturo-palatal ai (e) short, as in debt; long as in date.
Gutturo-palatal ai short, as in long as in ire.
Gutturo-palatal ei short, as in long as in ice.
Gutturo-palatal oi short, as in long as in voice.
Gutturo-labial au (o) short, as in not; long as in note.
Gutturo-labial au short, as in long as in proud.
Gutturo-labial eu short, as in Ital. Europa.
Gutturo-labial ou short, as in long as in bought.
Lingual rĕ short, as in fiery; long as in reach.
Dental Iĕ short, as in friendly; long as in leach.
A broken, as in Väter. I broken, as in Diener.
O broken, as König. U broken, as in Güte.

It has frequently been remarked that the short vowels in English (hat, bed, pit, pot, full) differ from their corresponding long vowels, page 26 not merely in quantity, but in quality also. As they mostly occur in unaccented syllables, they have lost that vocal timbre which the short vowels in German and Italian have preserved. Still it is not necessary to invent new signs for these surd vowels, because in origin they correspond exactly to the short vowels in other languages, only that they are uniformly modified by a peculiarity of pronunciation inherent in the English tongue. The English language has lost the pure short vowels altogether; and it is not by the eye, but by the ear only, that foreigners can learn the peculiar pronunciation of the short vowels in English.

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