Vocalic alternation

In Linguistic, the vocalic process of alternation , also called vocalic gradation or ablaut indicates a vocalic system of gradations of the stamps S in Indo-European which still has effects in the Indo-European Langues modern. Thus, same a radical or Indo-European Morphème can be presented in three forms (it is not the case for all), each one including/understanding of the alternatives: degree zero, full degree and long degree.

Example of the three degrees

One will take the case here (theoretical) verbal radical *likʷ- , “to leave” (which gives in Latin linquo and old Greek λείπω/ leipô ):

degree zero (without vowel): *likʷ- (with this degree, *i is not regarded as a radical vowel: it is only the Vocalisation of the Sounding *y between consonants);
full degree:

stamp E : *l' e' ykʷ- ,
stamp O : *l' o' ykʷ- ;

long degree:

stamp E : *l' ē ykʷ- ,

stamp O : *l ō ykʷ- .

It is seen, the radical vowel is either a *e or a *o : it is what one names the alternating vowel, often noted *^e/_o to mark its variable character: the two stamps, E and O , function indeed with the manner of Allophone S; *l^e/_oykʷ- is thus another possible writing of the verbal radical.
The process being also very present in Sanskrit, the Indian grammairiens of Antiquity perceived it and described, giving to the degree full the name with guṇa (“quality”) and to the degree long that of vr̥ddhi (“increase”), terms which one sometimes meets in the description of nonIndian languages. It is however notable that the Phonologie of the Sanskrit being very different from that of the Greek, their analysis often differs in an important way. For example, the Sanskrit having known the reduction of *e and *o with only one stamp /a/, it does not have there alternations of stamps comparable with those of the Greek.

Morphology

The choice of a degree and a stamp is not free: the alternating radical or the morpheme takes the degree wanted by rules of complex morphology which, during the sièles, tended in the Indo-European languages, to even change to simplify, in particular because of phonetic Modifications additional and especially of the strong tendency to the analogical levelling. Thus, vocalic alternation in Latin much less sees than in Greek old. For the modern languages, it remains much more visible in English or German (to think of the “irregular” verbs known as: sing , blood , sung is the three forms, to the three Thème S aspecto-temporal, of the same verb) as in the Romance Langues.

Here some notable examples; the same verb *l^e/_oykʷ- has following alternations in old Greek:

degree zero: λιπ- with the Aorist set of themes, named thus because a Voyelle alternating set of themes is added in front of the endings, thus forming a topic with vocalic finale. The vowel set of themes being already present at the end of the topic, it disappears from the radical: ἔ-λιπ-ο-ν (ἔ- is the Augment, - ο- the alternating vowel final of topic and - ν the Désinence of first nobody of the singular of secondary times);
full degree:

stamp E : λείπ-ω, at the present indicative. Although the ending - ω is already marked of an alternating vowel (contracted with that of the clean ending), the radical has well this time its own alternating vowel,
stamp O : λέ-λοιπ-α, with perfect of the code (λε- is the Redoublement in E , characteristic of perfect, - α the ending).

Pour of other developments in Greek, to also consult Conjugations of the old Greek .

To note that all the verbs do not follow this model and that one meets only seldom the same radical with the three degrees with all the stamps: for example, the long degree is not very frequent and characterizes especially the nominal inflection. In fact, an ideal model, that one would find in all the old Indo-European languages, making it possible to envisage in which degree and with which stamp a radical must arise to a desired Forme morphological does not exist. As one said, the languages tended to simplify such a complex system, more especially as many modification phonetics had sometimes made it less regular. One could for example say that, preferably, these sets of themes are with the full degree, stamps E , the perfect ones with the stamp O and the verbal adjectives in **to (kinds of passive last Participe S) with degree zero. There exists however of very many exceptions, within the same language and between the languages themselves.

Notice

This phonetic modification must be distinguished from a change of vowel caused by the presence of a former vowel, called Umlaut. The ablaut appeared in Indo-European, while the umlaut appeared more tardily, in Proto-Germanic. These terms are sometimes used also for similar changes in other linguistic families.

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Vocalic alternation

Example of the three degrees

Morphology

Notice

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