47. (1) The vowel of the penult of proparoxytones fell in many words in
Vulgar Latin, especially between a labial and another consonant, and
between two consonants one of which was a liquid: ✱_avĭca_ ＞ ✱_auca_,
_cŏm(i)tem_, _cŏmp(u)tum_, _dēb(i)tum_, _dŏm(i)nus_[29]; _alt(e)ra_,
_vĭg(i)lat_, _cal(i)dus_, _vĭr(i)dem_; _frig(i)dus_, _nĭtĭdus_ ＞
✱_nĭttus_, _pŏs(i)tus_, _pūtĭdus_ ＞ ✱_pūttus_.
(2) The classic Latin _-culus_ comprises an original _-clus_ (_sæclum_)
and an original _-culus_ (_aurĭcŭla_). In popular Latin both were
_-clus_ (✱_macla_, _ŏclus_, etc.), to which was assimilated _-tŭlus_ in
current words (_vĕtŭlus_ ＞ _vĕclus_, etc.).
(3) Many popular words which in Vulgar Latin had very generally lost
the vowel were for some reason introduced into southern Gaul in their
classical forms, and not a few were adopted both in the uncontracted
and in the syncopated state: _fragĭlem_ ＞ frágel (cf. Fr. _fraile_, It.
_frale_), _jŭvĕnem_ ＞ iọve (cf. Fr. _iuevne_); _clĕrĭcum_ ＞ clęrgue
_clĕr’cum_ ＞ clęrc, _dēbĭtum_ ＞ dẹute _dēb’tum_ ＞ dẹpte, _flēbĭlem_ ＞
frẹvol _flēb’lem_ ＞ frẹble, _mal’habĭtum_ ＞ malaute _mal’hab’tum_ ＞
malapte, _nĭtĭdum_ ＞ nẹde ✱_nĭttum_ ＞ nẹt, _hŏmĭnem_ ＞ ome _hŏm’nem_
＞ omne, _pŏpŭlum_ ＞ pǫbol _pŏp’lum_ ＞ pǫble.
1. _Cŏgnĭtum_ seems to have become ✱_cónhede_, whence _coinde_
_cuende_ _conge_. Cf. § 79, Gnd, Gnt.
48. The unaccented penult vowels that had not already fallen
disappeared, in most cases, in the transition from Latin to Provençal:
✱_carrĭcat_ ＞ carca, _cŏllŏcat_ ＞ cǫlca, _cŭrrĕre_ ＞ cọrre, _spathŭla_
＞ espatla, ✱_ĕssĕre_ (= _ĕsse_) ＞ ęstre, _ī(n)sŭla_ isla, _pĕssĭmum_ ＞
pęsme, _pōnĕre_ ＞ pọnre, ✱_rīdĕre_ ＞ rire, _tabŭla_ ＞ taula, _tŏllĕre_
＞ tǫlre.
1. A apparently was more tenacious than other vowels, and
frequently remained as an indistinct e: _anătem_ ＞ ánet,
which, being associated with the diminutive ending _-ét_,
became anét (cf. modern Pr. _anèdo_); _cannăbim_ ＞ cánebe
(learned?); _cŏlăphum_ ＞ ✱cólebe ＞ cǫlbe, but _cŏl’phum_ ＞
cǫlp; _Stĕphănum_ ＞ Estęve; _lampăda_ ＞ lámpeza; _ŏrgănum_ ＞
órguene (later orguéne) órgue; _ŏrphănum_ ＞ ǫrfe; _raphănum_ ＞
ráfe; _Rhŏdănum_ ＞ Rǫzer; ✱_sēcăle_ (= _sĕcāle_) ＞ séguel (but
cf. modern _segle_ _selho_). Cf. A. Thomas in the _Journal des
savants_, June, 1901, p. 370. See also P. Marchot, _Phon._,
pp. 90-94. Cf. § 45, footnote. It is noteworthy that ✱cólebe
ultimately lost its penult, while the other words lost the
final syllable or none.
49. Under certain conditions, however, a vowel which had not fallen
in the Latin of southern Gaul was often kept in Provençal. It was
then probably indistinct in sound, and was written usually _e_, but
occasionally _o_.
(1) After c´, g´, or y the vowel was apparently retained in some
dialects and lost in others. When the c´, g´, or y was intervocalic,
forms with and without the vowel are about equally common; when the c´,
g´, or y was preceded by a consonant, forms with the vowel predominate,
and after cons. + c´ the vowel was apparently never lost. After
intervocalic c´: _cŏcĕre_ (= _cŏquĕre_) ＞ cǫire cǫzer, _dīcĕre_ ＞ dire
dízer, _dūcĕre_ ＞ düire ✱düzer (condücir dedüzir), _facĕre_ ＞ faire
✱fázer (fazedọr, etc.), _gracĭlem_ ＞ graile, ✱_nŏcĕre_ (= _nŏcēre_)
＞ nǫire nǫzer, _placĭtum_ ＞ plach, _sŏcĕrum_ ＞ sǫzer (sǫgre is from
_sŏcrum_), ✱_vŏcĭtum_ (= _vacuum_) ＞ vuech. After intervocalic g´ or y:
_bajŭlus_ ＞ bailes, _fragĭlem_ ＞ frágel, _imagĭnem_ ＞ imáge, _lĕgĕre_
＞ lęire legír (through ✱lęger?), _rĭgĭdum_ ＞ rẹide rẹge, _rĭgĭda_ ＞
rẹgeza, ✱_tragĕre_ (= _trahĕre_) ＞ traire tragír (through ✱tráger?).
After cons. + c´: _carcer_ ＞ cárcer, _crēscĕre_ ＞ crẹisser, _nascĕre_
＞ náisser, _pascĕre_ ＞ páisser, _parcĕre_ ＞ párcer, ✱_tŏrcĕre_ (=
_tŏrquēre_) ＞ tǫrzer. After cons. + g´ or y: _angĕlum_ ＞ ángel
(learned?), ✱_cŏll’gĕre_ (= _cŏllĭgĕre_, through _cŏllĭgo_ etc.) ＞
cǫlre cuelher colhír, ✱_dē-ēr’gĕre_ (= _ērĭgĕre_) ＞ dẹrdre dẹrzer,
✱_fŭlgĕrem_ (from _fŭlger_ = _fŭlgur_) ＞ fọuzer, _jŭngĕre_ ＞ iọnher,
_margĭnem_ ＞ marge, _plangĕre_> planher, _vĭrgĭnem_ ＞ vẹrgena vẹrge.
(2) After ks, s, ss, and sy the vowel was apparently retained in some
dialects and lost in others: _dīxĕrunt_ ＞ diron dissęron (through
✱dísseron)[30], _dūxĕrunt_ ＞ düystrent düissęron (✱dúisseron),
_fraxĭnum_ ＞ fraisne fraisse, _traxĕrunt_ ＞ traissęron (✱tráisseron),
_tŏxĭcum_ ＞ tuęissec; _asĭnum_ ＞ asne ase, _mĭsĕrum_ ＞ miser (learned),
✱_prē(n)sĕrunt_ ＞ prẹson prezęron (✱prẹzeron), _rema(n)sĕrunt_ ＞
remastrent remasęron (✱remáseron); ✱_ĕssĕre_ (= _ĕsse_) ＞ ęstre ęsser
(used in Rouergue, Limousin, Marche, and Dauphiné), ✱_mĭssĕrunt_ (=
_mīsĕrunt_) ＞ mestrunt (mẹsdren) mesęron (✱mẹsseron), _passĕrem_
＞ pásser; ✱_cō(n)sĕre_ (= _consuĕre_) ＞ coser (cozír is from V. L.
✱_cosīre_).
(3) Between a labial and a dental the vowel was apparently kept:
_cŭpĭdum_ ＞ cọbe,[31] _fēmĭna_ ＞ fẹmena fẹme (but _fēm’na_ ＞
fẹmna), _jŭvĕnem_ ＞ iọve, ✱_lūmĭnem_ ＞ lüme (_lūmen_ ＞ lüm),
_hŏmĭnem_ ＞ ómen óme (but _hŏm’nĕm_ ＞ omne), _tĕpĭdum_ ＞ tębe,[31]
_tĕrmĭnum_ ＞ tęrme. Cf. § 48, 1.
(4) Between a dental and a guttural the vowel remained long enough for
the guttural to become y (§ 52; § 65, G): _mĕdĭcum_ ＞ ✱mędegu ＞ ✱mędeye
＞ mędže (= _mege_). If the first consonant was a liquid or a nasal, the
vowel apparently allowed the guttural to become y in some dialects, but
not in others: ✱_carrĭcat_ ＞ caria carga, _clĕrĭcum_ ＞ clęrie clęrgue,
_mŏnăchum_ ＞ monie mongue. _Caballĭcat_ ＞ cavalga, _cŏllŏcat_ ＞ cǫlca
cǫlga show an earlier fall. In _clĕr´cum_ ＞ clęrc the fall goes back to
Latin times.
(5) Between lv and r the vowel was kept in some dialects and lost
in others: _sŏlvĕre_ ＞ sǫlver sǫlvre, _vŏlvĕre_ ＞ vǫlver vǫlvre,
_pŭlvĕrem_ ＞ polvęra.
50. Some learned proparoxytones kept for a while both post-tonic vowels
(usually written _e_), but most of them ultimately either shifted
their accent to the penult (§ 17, 1) or dropped their final syllable:
_domĕstĭcum_ ＞ domęstegue, _lacrĭma_ ＞ lágrema, _mĕrĭtum_ ＞ męrite,
_hŏrrĭda_ ＞ ǫreza, _rēgĭmen_ ＞ régeme; _fĭstŭla_ ＞ festóla, _fragĭlem_
＞ fragíl, _mĕrĭtum_ ＞ merít, _tĕrmĭnum_ ＞ termíni; _diacŏnum_ ＞ diágue,
_flēbĭlem_ ＞ frẹvol (cf. _flēb´lem_ ＞ frẹble), _nĭtĭdum_ ＞ nẹde (cf.
✱_nĭttum_ ＞ nẹt), _ōrdĭnem_ ＞ órde, _pŏpŭlum_ ＞ pǫbol (cf. _pŏp´lum_ ＞
pǫble), _prīncĭpem_ ＞ príncep prínce. Cf. § 47, (3).