110
Given a stem vowel, membership of the respective stem form in three
classes can be read off Table 2. For instance, sproch (in hi) is a short mon-
ophthongal U-form. If I wish to refer to subclasses that are defined by the
occurrence of a specific vowel, I shall use expressions such as hl-form. If the
differentiation in terms of length is to be neglected, 1 shall use expressions
with orthographic vowel names such as o-form (stem form in /o:/ or hi). The
terms l-base, A-base, U-base refer to bases that are I-forms, A-forms, and
U-forms, respectively.
complexity types
quality
types
monophthongal
diphthongal
I-form
h
y
e oe/
/i: y: e: o: e:/
/ai oil
stem
vocalism
U-form
/u
d
/
/u: o:/
/au/
A-form
/a/
/a:/
short
long
quantity types
Table 2. Expression types of forms of strong verb stems: stem vocalism
The three classifications that have been introduced serve to define the types of
alternations (or ‘operations’) that are basic constituents of ablaut in German,
viz. change of quality type, change of complexity type, and change of quantity
type.
2.3
Change of quality type and change of complexity type
As noted above, the stems of verbs of the third and fourth class (such as
BINDl )
each have as their primary forms three forms of distinct quality types
(I-form. A-form, U-form). This observation may be generalised. It holds of
stems of strong verbs that have a monophthongal base: distinct primary forms
of a given stem belong to different quality types', in this case ablaut is
change
status of diphthongs need not be made here. The chosen notation meets the necessity to
make it clear which stem forms belong to which classes.
I l l
of quality type (or
qualitative ablaut, for short). If there is no change of quality
type (as with stems of verbs of the first class), there is a change of complexity
type: a diphthongal base alternates with a monophthongal ablaut form. On the
other hand, mere change of length is not sufficient for ablaut in German: a
change of quantity type cannot occur on its own but must be at the same time a
change of quality type or complexity type.
Stems of strong verbs have two or three primary forms, and there are
three quality types. Thus there are six ways of combining two primary forms
(a base and an ablaut form) of different quality types; all of these occur in
German as the examples show, cf.:
base-form, ablaut-form
examples
I-form, U-form
I-form, A-form
A-form, I-form
A-form, U-form
U-form, I-form
U-form, A-form
gieß-goss
schind—schund
mess—maß
fall—fiel
schaff—schuf
ruf-rief
komm—kam
There are two complexity types but there are no diphthongal A-forms. Ablaut
forms are never diphthongal in German, thus there are only two ways of com-
bining two primary stem forms of identical quality types, cf.:
I-form, I-form
reil-ritt
U-form. U-form
sauf—soff
There is only one way of combining three primary stem forms of different
quality types in German, cf.:
I-form, A-form, U-form
sing—sang—sung
sprech—sprach—sproch
No other combinations are allowed in German.
Stems with diphthongal bases usually do not exhibit a change of quality
type between their forms. The large majority of these stems (viz. the stems of
verbs of the first class) have ei—►/'-alternation (thus alternation between
1-forms).
112
In Contemporary Standard German, ablaut is change of quality type or
change of complexity type.17 Thus ablaut forms are clearly distinguished as
against bases (and against each other): their vocalism meets a defined standard
of dissimilarity. The proposed characterisation of ablaut excludes a consider-
able number of conceivable vowel alternations (^//-alternation in particular),
but, of course, it does not yet define the limits of ablaut. After all, umlaut
involves a change of quality type, too (though the direction of umlaut,
back—»front, is inverted as compared to the most prominent cases of ablaut
and, moreover, umlaut vowels are not allowed in ablaut forms). In order to
approach a more decisive demarcation of ablaut, the particular vowels that
occur in ablaut forms have to be considered (the ‘ablaut vowels’).
2.4 Ablaut vowels
The inventory of ablaut vowels is heavily restricted. An approach that charac-
terises alternations in terms of types of forms can account for such restrictions
in a natural way. Consider some change of quality type, A—»I-altemation for
instance (as in fall—>fiel), thus ablaut forms that are I-forms. This characterisa-
tion is rather unspecific and in itself does not fix the ablaut form’s vowel. But
among I-forms, /-forms (i.e., forms in /i:/ or III) enjoy a special status: /-forms
are, as it were, ‘prototypical’ members (or ‘best exemplars’) of the larger class
of I-forms. Hence, if the regularities of ablaut demand an I-form (without
imposing any more specific requirements), it may be expected that an /-form is
called for. Otherwise there should be an additional stipulation to the contrary.
Vice versa, a specific regulation has to be assumed to be effective only if the
form in question does not belong to the expected prototype. I take it, then,
that, in the general case, the particular vowel of an ablaut form need not be
specified. To know the quality type and the quantity type will do. Pending any
specifications to the contrary, ablaut forms that are I-forms or U-forms are /-
forms or u-forms, respectively; and trivially, A-forms are u-forms. (Actually,
this ‘default rule’ might be adopted quite independently of any considerations
specific to ablaut.)
There are six ways of changing between quality types, viz. I—»U-, I—>A-,
A—»I-, A—»U-, U—»I-, and U—»A-alternation. As may be gathered from the
examples given in Section 2.3, only I—»U-altemation requires a supplementary
regulation; in all of the remaining cases of qualitative ablaut, ablaut forms are
invariably /-forms, a-forms or «-forms and thus specification of the ablaut
form’s quality type is indeed sufficient to fix the ablaut vowel (except for its
length).
17 For a discussion of apparent counter-examples see Section 2.7, infra.