THE PHONEMIC STATUS OF SEMIVOWELS <W> AND <J> IN CLASSICAL MIDDLE HIGH GERMAN (THE CASE OF POEMS BY WALTHER VON DER VOGELWEIDE)

Abstract

The aim of the study is to identify and reconstruct the phonemic characteristics of the semivowels <w> and <j> in Classical Middle High German, using normalized scientific editions of Walter von der Vogelweide's poetry. The study is conducted both on the diachronic level – the emergence of these semivowels and their evolution in modern High German – and on the synchronic level, i.e. their written and articulatory development in the Middle High German period. The philological evidence includes both historical changes in the articulation of the studied semivowels and dialectal evidence (Alemannic dialect). The analysis begins with a study of the features of these diphthongs in Old High German manuscripts. Then conclusions are drawn regarding the phonetic difference between Old High German and Middle High German semivowels. On the basis of the collected synchronic and diachronic evidence, the authors conclude that the semivowel <w> was bilabial in Old High German but labial in Middle High German. While in Middle High German the semivowel <j> had the properties of a vowel sound, in Modern High German it is a palatal fricative consonant. In addition to their conclusions, the authors also compile rich visual material that illustrates the written reproduction as well as the place of articulation of Middle High German semivowels. The phonemic status of Middle High German semivowels is also considered in accordance with prosodic features in the metric. Both classical sources and modern linguistic research are analyzed. Our next phonetic-phonological study will focus on the Middle High German consonant <s> in initial position and will treat it as a hissing sound that has evolved into the sibilant <sch> in modern High German.