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CHAPTERFIVE
JACOBGRIMM
GERMANICGRAMMAR
FromDeutscheGrammatik
(Gütersloh:
C.Bertelmann,1893),I,pp.580-592
Editor'sIntroduction
Ifnon-specialistsknowanythingabouthistoricallinguistics,itisGrimm'slaw.Thehistoryofviewsontheconsonantshiftisvirtuallyahistoryoflinguistictheoryuntil1875;subsequentlyitisequivalenttothetheoryofhistoricallinguistics,fromtheneogrammarianposition(thateachconsonantshouldbetreatedindividually)tothatpropoundedtoday(thattheentireshiftbeviewedasawhole).YetourfirstreactiononlookingatGrimm'scelebratedstatementmaybesurprise,Heisgropingthroughtheconsonants;hisremarksontheliquidsshowgreatuncertainty.Thevowelsarequiteobscureforhim.Andcombinedwiththetreatmentareperipheralremarksaboutspeech--commentsonthepurposeofvowels--whichwewouldnotwelcomeinanytreatisetoday.YetthisformulationoftheGermanicconsonantshifthasindeedhad"momentousconsequencesforthehistoryoflanguage."Subsequentdiscussionisvoluminous;fewGermanists,Indo-Europeanistsorevengenerallinguistshavefailedtocomment.
ItwasGrimm'sconceptionoftheshiftasaunitwhichmadesuchanimpactonlinguistics.Althoughhisformulationlackstheneatnesswemightexpect,hedidaccountconsistentlyforalargesegmentofthesetofIndo-EuropeanandGermanicconsonants.Hisconsistentaccountwassooverwhelmingthatnoonedoubteditsvalidity.Theitemsunaccountedforwereconsideredexceptionsandweremadetheobjectofresearchforthenexthalfcentury.
Yetwemaybeevenmoresurprisedthatthereisnomentionofalaw.Grimmhasgivenninerules,relatingtheconsonantsofGermanicwiththoseofGreekandLatin,lesscommonlywithSanskritandotherIndo-Europeanlanguages.Insteadofrule,Regelmightequallywellbetranslatedcorrespondence.Ifwedidusethistranslation,Grimm'sformulationmightbequitecontemporary.Hestatedtheevidencefully,includingexceptions,positedtherelevantcorrespondences,andindicatedtheirrelationshipstooneanother.Thestatementisaclassicexampleoftheformulationofaprobleminlinguistics,andofitssolutionwithinthesphereoflanguage.
Possiblyanattemptatexplanationisimplicit,thougheventhisisnotcertain.Byviewingtheshiftasnon-organic,GrimmapparentlysawinitadeviationfromtheorganismdevelopedbythespeakersofIndo-Europeanlanguages.Justasinflection,incontrastwithagglutination,seemedappropriatetotheIndo-Europeanlanguages,sodidthesystemofobstruentsinGreekandLatin.Butweseenoneofthefancifulattemptsatexplanationwhichourhandbookssummarize--ashiftduetochangeofgeography,orclimateandsoon--noreventhemoresoberattemptswhichseemappropriatetous,suchasageneralshiftinkeepingwithonetypeofphoneticreshapingorwiththemodificationofdistinctivefeatures.Grimm'sconcentrationontaxonomysparedhimallsuchventures.
Hewasalsofortunateinhisignoranceofphonetics,whichpermittedhimtoclasstogetherconsonantswhichwerequitedifferentinarticulation,andtoproduceastatementwhichpassesbeyonddetailstothesystem.Examinationofdetails,asbyRaumer,Grassmann,Verner,clarifiedexceptions,butitalsoforatimeunderminedtheunitywhichGrimmsawintheshift,andwhichastructuralapproachhasrestored.
ThetranslationhasbeendeliberatelykeptstarktoillustrateGrimm'spioneering.Wemightwellinterpret"guttural"tomeanvelar,asitoftendoesevenamonglinguistswhoshouldbebetterinformed;butthatitmeant"throat-sound"toGrimmisclearfromhisGermanequivalent"Kehllaut".Thoughwemayprideourselvesonsuperiorterminology,ourestimateofthecapabilitiesofGrimm'scontemporariesisnotdiminishedbytheeasewithwhichtheyweretoidentifyexamplesasGreekorLatin,withnospecialindication.
AsweupdateGrimm'sterminology,wemaywonderattermsthathavenotbeendiscarded.Grimmspeaksofconsonantgradation.Wenolongerdo,butourentiretreatmentoftheIndo-Europeanvowelsisbasedontheassumptionofgradation.Grimmviewedvowelsasvirtuallyhopeless,butbroughtorderintotheconsonantsystembyhisuseofgrades.SubsequentlinguistsbroughtorderintotheIndo-Europeanvowelsystembyusinggrades.Inmaintainingtheirterminology,arewealsomaintaininganantiquatedframeworkforthevowels?
ThoughweconsiderJacobGrimm(1785-1863)oneofthegreatestcontributorstolinguistics,hisnameisahouseholdwordforotherachievementsaswell.Thevenerationinwhichheisheldbyscholarsmaybeindicatedbytheretentionofthepagenumbersofhisoriginaltextofthegrammar,whicharemaintainedhere,asinsubsequenteditions.HisGermanicGrammarisstillthemostcompleteonewehave.ThelargeGermandictionary,recentlycompleted,wasinauguratedbyhimandhisbrother,Wilhelm(1786-1859).Hisworkinotherfields:
medievalliterature,law,mythology,folklore,isasfundamentalashisworkinlinguistics.AfterstudyinglawatMarburgheheldsmallgovernmentposts,whichbroughthimatvarioustimestoParisandVienna.In1817hewasappointedprofessorandlibrarianatGöttingen.Herehelecturedinhisareasofinterestuntil1837,whenwithsixotherprofessorsheprotestedagainsttheKingofHanover'sabrogationoftheconstitution,andwasdismissed.Hispoliticalactionatthistimeillustratesthathisgreatnesswasnotconfinedtoacademicmatters.AfterreturningtoCasselforafewyearsheandhisbrotherwereinvitedtoprofessorshipsatBerlinin1840,andtomembershipsinthePrussianAcademyofSciences.Acclaimdidnothinderhiswork,whichinvolvedallareasoflinguisticsfromphonologytothepainstakingactivitiesofalexicographer.
ASurveyoftheConsonants
Theabovesurveyinformsusthatthevowelrelationshipsareuncertainandsubjecttovariousinfluences,butthattheirdistributionandalternationarenotarbitrary,rather,resultingfromdeeplyestablishedlawsthathavenotyetbeendisclosed.Thelawoftheablautswillspreadmorelightonthis.Onemayviewthevowelsasthenecessarycoloringoranimationofallwords,asthebreathwithoutwhichtheywouldnotevenexist.Therealindividualityofthewordrestsonthevowelsound;itaffordsthefinestrelationships.
Theform,ifImaysayso,ontheotherhandthespecificationisestablishedbytheconsonantism.Heretherelationshipsappearfarmorecertainandlasting;dialects,whosevowelsforthemostpartdeviate,oftenmaintainthesameconsonants.
Thefourliquidsareunchangeable;theirfluidelementpreservesthemintactduringthemostpowerfulupheavals.Theyundergoonlyoccasionalpermutations,transpositions,lossesorgeminations,inspiteofwhichtheiressentialsignificanceremainsthesame;i.e.,although,forexample,chilcheoccasionallyappearsaschirche,rand1remainfundamentallydifferentinallothercases.Tobenoted:
1)Ontheonehandlandrarecloselyrelated,ontheothermandn.Whenanexchangetakesplace,mistheearlierandmoredelicate,nlaterandcoarser(cf.p.386,387).[ThesereferencesaretoGrimm'sGrammar.]Conversely,theharderrmaybeolder,thesofterlyounger.Mstandsinaspecialrelationshipwiththelabials,nwiththelinguals(cf.p.536).ThustheOHGau,oubeforemandlabials,ôbeforenandlinguals(p.100);landrareassociatedasreadilywithlabials,lingualsandgutturals.--Landrdisintegrateoccasionallyintouandi(andcouldthereforebecalledsemivowels);nevermandn,yettheinfluenceofalostnontheprecedingvowelmightbecompared(gâs,forgans).
2)Intheimportantassociationofrwiths,ofthecombinationrdwithddandsd(Goth.zd)r,rdappearastheyoungerformswhichhavegraduallydevelopedfroms,sd(cf.p.64,65,121,167,210,244,305,317,343,387,416).
Liketheliquids,thethreespirantsv,h,sremainessentiallyunchangedthroughoutalltheGermanicdialects.Ideducetheirinnerrelationshipinpartfromtheêandôwhichappearinfrontofthemratherthaneiandau(p.91,94),inpartfromthechangesbetweenhandv,w(p.148,403),hands(p.318,416),andtheassociationoftheaspirationwiththeassibilation(th,ts,z);nodirectexchangebetweenv,w,ands;handv,(thesoftestofallconsonants,)disappearoccasionallywithoutreplacement,eveninitiallyandparticularlybeforeliquids.(v.addendum)
Relationshipsarecompletelyotherwisewiththeremainingconsonants;anotablecontrastbetweenHighGermanandalltheotherdialectsbecomesobvious.Inthelabial,lingualandgutturalsounds,theGothic(Saxon,Frisian,Northern)tenuescorrespondtotheHighGermanaspirates;theGothicmediaetotheHighGermantenues;andtheGothicaspiratestotheHighGermanmediae.Theparticularsmaybeexpressedasfollows:
Goth.
P.
B.
F.
|
T.
D.
Þ
|
K.
G.
.
OHG
F.
P.
B.(V)
|
Z.
T.
D
|
CH.
K.
G.
AchangehastakenplacebymeansofwhicheachofthesenineconsonantsinHighGermanshiftedsimilarlyfromitsposition.1ThereisnodoubtthattheHighGermansituationmustbeviewedhereasthelater,thechanged,andtheGothic(Saxon,Frisian,Northern)astheearlier.ThishasbeenprovedbyanalysisoftheOldHighGermanlettersonvariousgrounds.Observations:
1)Thelingualseriesindicatestherelationshipmostclearly;inGothictáins,dal,þaúrnusareasnecessarilydistinguishedasinOldHighGermanZein,TalandDorn.
2)ThelabialorderalsofitsassoonasoneacknowledgesthesecondaspiratebhfortheHGvininitialpositionandadmitsthisinsteadofthecloselyrelatedrealmedia.For
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