Unshifted Forms in Standard German
The High German consonant shift — at least as far as the core group of changes is concerned — is an example of an exceptionless sound change, and was frequently cited as such by the Neogrammarians. However, modern standard German, though mainly based on Central German, borrows from all German dialects. When a German word contains unshifted consonants, it is usually considered to be a loanword from Low German. Either the shifted form has become obsolete, as in:
- Hafen "harbor", from Low German (15th cent.), replacing Middle High German habe(ne).
or the two forms are retained as doublets, as in:
- Wappen "coat of arms", from Low German, alongside native Waffe "weapon".
Many unshifted words are borrowed from Low German:
- Hafer "oat" (vs. Swiss, Austrian Haber); Lippe "lip" (vs. Lefze "animal lip"); Pegel "water level"; Pickel "pimple"; Ratte "rat" (vs. dial. Ratz)
However, the majority of unshifted words in German are loaned from Latin, Romance, English, or Slavic:
- Paar "pair, couple" (← Medieval Latin pār), Peitsche "whip" (← Old Sorbian/Czech bič).
Read more about this topic: High German Consonant Shift
Famous quotes containing the words forms, standard and/or german:
“The delicious faces of children, the beauty of school-girls, “the sweet seriousness of sixteen,” the lofty air of well-born, well-bred boys, the passionate histories in the looks and manners of youth and early manhood, and the varied power in all that well-known company that escort us through life,—we know how these forms thrill, paralyze, provoke, inspire, and enlarge us.”
—Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803–1882)
“Where shall we look for standard English but to the words of a standard man?”
—Henry David Thoreau (1817–1862)
“A German immersed in any civilization different from his own loses a weight equivalent in volume to the amount of intelligence he displaces.”
—José Bergamín (1895–1983)