Fróðskaparrit - 01.01.1966, Qupperneq 81

Skiftið millum framgóma- og afturgómaframburð
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broytingini, men ota sín framburð inn á samsvarandi ljóða-
sambond. Eitt tykist tó at vera heilt víst: Hin stóra tvíljóð-
ingin í føroyskum av gomlum sjálvljóðum og a er eldri enn
samljóðið millum æ — tvíljóðað ella ikki — og fyrra lið av
tvíljóðaðum a øðrumegin og e framman fyri gomlum longum
ella tvíføldum hjáljóði og ávísum hjáljóðaflokkum hinumegin,
og tað var upprunaliga einasta ætlanin við hesi grein at draga
tað fram.
SUMMARY
This paper first refers to the occurrence of palatalized g and k in
Old Norse, which sounds correspond to purely palatal sounds in Faroese.
By showing presence and absence of velar sound in Old Norse and
comparing with Faroese, it is evident that palatal pronunciation of g-k
in Faroese does not always correspond to the palatalized pronunciation
in Old Norse, which, ergo, applies to the velar pronunciation as well.
The subject is divided into three main groups: —
6 a) Old Norse ei becomes Faroese [ai] og [oi], preceding g-k adapt
themselves to the development and become velar sounds. Old Norse
au becomes Faroese e-, also in this case preceding g-k adapt them-
selves and become palatalized sounds.
6 b) p>ø, «>[Yu] og a>[ea], preceding g-k do not adapt themselves
to the development, but remain velar sounds and enforce this
pronunciation on the compounds g-k + front sounds: ø, [Y i] and
æ, as a result of the merging of the former and the latter. As re-
gards [Yi], i. e. Old Norse í og ý, which is usually pronounced
[ói] to-day, another possibility is mentioned.
6. c) Later on the first component of diphtongized a and — north of
Suðuroyarfjørður — x become merged with e preceding old long
or double consonants and certain consonant groups. In Suðuroy x
(Old Norse e and x) and e become merged in the phonemic system,
but g and k before e are not pronounced velarly in these cases.
It is the author’s opinion that the change of the pronunciation of
palatalized g-k into palatal pronunciation with a merging of Old
Norse gj and kj has occurred in the period between a)—b) and c).
A few special cases adduced, 8, it is worth mentioning that the change
of e before ng and nk into or towards ei and o is considered to be older
than the development 6. c).
The paper is based upon the traditional view that in the ancient
language there was a phonetic, although not a phonemic, limit between
g and k before front sound on one side and back sound on the other
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