Slavic Second Palatalization - Interpretation

Interpretation

The second palatalization has probably spread from Slavic south; it started to operate sometimes between the end of the sixth and the middle of the seventh century CE, and the environments where it operated vary. In Russian and Slovak, results of the second palatalization later were removed at junction of morphemes (i.e. before inflectional endings) because of paradigm alignment, by analogy. In Ukrainian and Belarusian, however, the effect of second palatalization is still evident in such cases.

Compare:

• Old East Slavic ruka 'hand', L. rucě
  • Russ. ruká, L. ruké
  • Ukr. ruká, L. rucí
  • Belarus. ruká, L. rucé

For Northwest Russian speeches (Novgorod, Pskov), according to Zaliznyak, the second palatalization has not taken place at all (E.g. Pskovian kev' : OESl. cěvь: Old Novgorod *kělъ : OCS cělъ). But it is in fact probably not so, because such apparent unchanged velars were actually palatalized dentals both in the older monuments and in modern speeches (so such #k- would in fact be ). So the only exception with these speeches would be of not carrying out the affrication with the second palatalization.