Gripla - 01.01.1977, Page 173

MODERN ICELANDIC U-UMLAUT
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said position on the systematic phonetic level, is /C0/, or /C0Yr/, or
/C0öC0/. Actually in non-monosyllabic stems the u-umlauted vowel is
always separated from the end of the stem by at least one consonantal
segment. For examples see (20). If a vowel other than /y/ or /ö/ which
(20) What can intervene between a u-umlauted vowel and the end of
the stem, on the systematic phonetic level?
(a) One or more consonants: hundruð, folöld, bök, börn, möstr-in
(b) One or more syllables containing /Yr/, or /y/ from /a/, or
/ö/ from /a/: fögur, möstur, önnur, gömul, höföld
fulfils the conditions stated in (20b) intervenes in the said position, u-
umlaut does not take place before that vowel. Cf. the lexical items
listed in (21). It is, however, doubtful whether it can be asserted that
the intervening vowel has prevented the u-umlaut from taking place in
such cases, for the reason for the lack of u-umlaut is most probably the
circumstance that the lexical items in question would undergo Final
umlaut only.
There is reason to mention those adjectives undergoing vowel syn-
cope of a vowel other than /a/ in some of their case forms. E.g. the
past participle farinn ‘gone’ undergoes u-umlaut, cf. dat. pl. förn-um',
(21) Forms lacking u-umlaut either because they are only susceptible
to Final umlaut, or because the intervening vowel is neither /y/
or /ö/ fulfilling the conditions stated in (20b)
praktugur ‘magnificent’, dat. pl. praktug-um
fallegur ‘beautiful’ falleg-um
kaktus ‘cactus’ kaktus-um
albatros ‘albatross’ albatros-um
aldin ‘fruit’ aldin-um
however, its nom. sg. f., in which case form u-umlaut is expected on the
basis of such examples as gamall ‘old’ — gömul — gömlum, is farin,
not förin. On the other hand, fagur ‘fair’ follows the pattern of gamall:
fagur—fögur — fögrum. The relevant difference between farinn and
fagur is that in the former the vowel to be umlauted is followed by i in
the non-syncopated forms, in the latter by ur. However, not even in this
case can the lack of u-umlaut in farin be blamed on its i with certainty,
for the description can also be formulated in an altemative way: fagur