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
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—Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803–1882)
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