The Romance Languages

Ti Alkire, Carol Rosen: Romance Languages: A Historical Introduction.
1. THE EVOLUTION OF STRESSED VOWELS

1.1. Syllables and word stress in Latin
1.1.1. Why word stress atters
Stress position in a Latin word (etyon) as a crucial e!!ect on its Romance outcomes (re!le"es).
Latin "nglis Italian Spanis #renc
de$ere to owe do%ere de$er de%oir
a$ere to a%e a%ere a$er a%oir
%endere to sell %endere %ender %endre
prendere to take prendere prender prendre
perdere to lose perdere perder perdre
Te Latin in!initi%es re!lect two di!!erent classes: arhi#otoni$ (stressed o!! te root: debere, habere) and rhi#otoni$
(stressed on te root: vendere, prendere, perdere). Italian preser%es te original contrast in stress pattern. Spanis as
neutrali&ed te contrast in !a%or o! ari&otonic in!initi%es. #renc, owe%er, sows te drastic conse'uences o! te
di!!erence in stress. Te stressed %owel in te ari&otonic in!initi%es gi%es (oi) *wa*, and te ri&otonic in!initi%es loose
te unstressed %owel. Tere!ore it is necessar+ to understand te Latin stress rule: te %en&ltiate r&le. To understand
it we need to consider tree concepts: %owel 'uantiti+, s+lla$le $oundaries, and s+lla$le lengt.
1.1.'. Latin (owels
Latin as !i%e %owels arranged in te usual triangle, wit !ront,$ack contrast neutrali&ed !or te low %owel *a*.
- . / 0
1 2 3 4
5 6
Te onl+ complication is 'uantit+ 7 eac o! tese %owels can $e eiter long or sort, a ponemic contrast seen in suc
inial )airs as: 8ST 9is: ;8<IT 9comes:
=ST 9eats: ;=<IT 9came:
Te %owel in%entor+ also includes tree diptongs, written A" *a>*, ?" *o>*, A@ *aw*, wic automaticall+ count as long
%owels. Te term di)hthon* means tat te two elements (%owel A glide) $elong to te same s+lla$le.
1.1.+. Di(idin* syllables in Latin
Te rule is: maBima&e te onset. Tis means: put as muc material as possi$le into te later s+lla$le, consistent wit te
re'uirement tat its onset must $e accepta$le as te $eginning o! a world. "Bample:
IC.DRI.CA.T@R, I<.#"R.<@ $ecause CDR, <#, R< are not possi$le onsets, and CD.R is wrong $ecause te onset is not maBima&ed.
% R , - T I - E Indicate s+lla$le $oundaries in tese Latin words:
LA.CRI.CA DAR.T" CA<.T@ D".TRA H"R.EA
?D.TI.C@ F".C"C.E"R ".T"R.<@ CA.GI.C@ (B stands !or *ks*)
Sometimes +ou encounter two ad>acent %owels in iatus. Fon:t con!use tem wit diptongsH In oter se'uences
written wit two %owel grapemes (; ;), te two %owels $elong to separate s+lla$les: SU.,.;" 9gentle:, DA.LE.,
9straw:
% R , - T I - E Indicate were te s+lla$le $oundaries !all in tese Latin words:
#".ER@.A. RI.@S H?.FI." DI.".TA.T";I.TR".@ #I.LI.A
In addition to long %owels, Latin as long (*einate) consonants !ormed $+ adding an eBtra timing unit to te closure.
Te s+lla$le $oundar+ is placed $etween te two writen consonants. "Bample: I@T.TA, ;IL.LA, etc.
@neBpectedl+, te s+lla$le $oundar+ in *s* A consonant occuring word,mediall+ runs $etween *s* and te consonant, e%en
toug *s* A consonant can $egin a word. "Bample: S%A.TA, $ut CRIS.%A (not JCRI.SDA). Tis !act is in!erred !rom clear
linguistic e%idence (K L.M.N.). Interestingl+, in some Romance languages *s* A consonant pro%ed to $e an impossi$le
onset e%en word,initiall+, !.i. in Spanis espada 9sword: ( S%ATA and escuela 9scool: ( S-H?LA (K M.L.L.).
1.1... The %en&ltiate R&le
?nce +ou a%e identi!ied te $oudaries o! a s+lla$le, +ou a%e to determine weter it:s ea%+ (long) or ligt (sort).
Definition: A s+lla$le is hea(y i! it consists o! two timing units. ?terwise stated, it contains a long %owel or ends in
consonant. S+lla$les meeting neiter criterion are li*ht.
% R , - T I - E In tese words +ou can:t identi!+ all te ea%+ s+lla$les unless +ou know wic %owels are long, $ut +ou can identi!+ some on sigt.
Oic onesP C@LT@ <?CT" @<F"CIC C,EL@ ,UR?RA ,UFI?
Te Denultimate Rule looks at te neBt,to,last ()en&ltiate) s+lla$le: I! te penultimate s+lla$le is ea%+ (long), stress it,
oterwise stress te preceding s+lla$le (te ante)en&lt). Te Denultimate Rule esta$lises a regular relationsip
$etween s+lla$le weigt and stress position. Ii%en Latin %owel 'uantiti+, we can deduce stress position. ;ice %ersa, i! we
know te stress position (!rom Romance re!leBes), we can deduce te weigt o! te penultimate s+lla$le in Latin. In
words containing two s+lla$les, te penultimate is stressed unconditionall+, re%ealing noting a$out %owel 'uantit+.
% R , - T I - E (Latin Romance) In te !ollowing words Latin %owel 'uantit+ is identi!ied wen long. S+lla$i!+ and sow stress.
FI#.#I.CI.L" C@.LI."R C@.LI.=.R" I<.IC.Q.C@ A.R@I.LA (R@ counts as a consonant *k
w
*)
"G."C.DL@ #?R.CQ.CA FI.R"C.T@ R?.T@<.F@
% R , - T I - E (Latin Romance) Here %owel 'uantit+ is not sown. Tr+ to in!er te stress position !rom an+ Romance re!leBes +ou ma+ know, and
!rom tat, compute te weigt o! te penultimate s+lla$le, and te %owel 'uantit+ wen possi$le.
A.CQ.CA 9!riend: ?.D8.RA 9work: <@.C8.R@ 9num$er: A.<S.CA 9soul:
LAC.T@.CA 9lettuce: CA.C8.RA 9room: CA.T=.<A 9cain: C?<.#LQC.T@ 9con!lict:
L
Ti Alkire, Carol Rosen: Romance Languages: A Historical Introduction.
I<.ST.LA 9island: #A.RQ.<A 9!lour: F?.CS.<A 9lad+:
M

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Ti Alkire, Carol Rosen: Romance Languages: A Historical Introduction.

1. THE EVOLUTION OF STRESSED VOWELS

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