70. The groups of two consonants will be treated in alphabetical order.
It will be seen that br, gr, lr, nr generally remained unchanged; mr,
sr, zr (and sometimes lr, nr) developed a glide consonant; cr, pr
voiced, and βr, c´r, dr, tr, yr vocalized their first element.
Br ＞ br, also ur, occasionally ir (through ür): _fabrum_ ＞ fabre
faure[62], _fĕbrem_ ＞ fębre fęure, _lībra_ ＞ liura; _Octōbrem_ ＞
ochọyre. For brg, see § 80.
βr ＞ ur, occasionally ir: _bĭbĕre_ ＞ bęure, débēr’ hábḙo ＞ deβr’áyo ＞
deurái, ✱_rōbŏrem_ ＞ rọure rọire; ✱_mŏvĕre_ (= _mŏvēre_) ＞ mǫure,
_plŏvĕre_ ＞ plǫure.
Cr ＞ gr: _acrem_ ＞ agre, _lacrĭma_ ＞ lagrema, _lŭcrum_ ＞ lọgre,
_macrum_ ＞ magre, _sacrāre_ ＞ sagrar, _sŏcrum_ ＞ sǫgre.[63] In late
learned words we find cr: _secret_.
C´r ＞ ir: _cŏcĕre_ ＞ cǫire, _dīcĕre_ ＞ dire, _dūcere_ ＞ düire, _facĕre_
＞ faire. Cf. § 49, (1).
Dr ＞ ðr ＞ ir: _divīdĕre_ ＞ devire, _quadrum_ ＞ caire, vídēr’ hábe̯o
＞ veð’r-áyo ＞ veirái. After au, apparently, ð simply disappeared:
_claudĕre_ ＞ claure. Late learned words have dr: _quadrupedi_.
Gr, in popular words, was reduced to r in Vulgar Latin in parts of
the Empire _fra(g)rāre_ ＞ ✱frarar ✱flarar flazar, _intĕ(g)rum_ ＞
entęr entięr, _nĭ(g)rum_ ＞ nęr nięr,[64] _pere(g)rīnum_ ＞ peleri,
_pĭ(g)rĭtia_ ＞ perẹza; these forms occur in Gascony, Rouergue, and
Limousin, but forms with gr are found in the same region. Elsewhere, in
these same words, and everywhere, in more bookish words, gr remained
in Vulgar Latin; this gr was kept in most of the Provençal territory,
but was changed to ir in Dauphiné, Auvergne, and Languedoc: _fragrāre_
＞ flairar, _integrāre_ ＞ enteirar, _intĕ́grum_ ＞ entęgre entęir,[65]
_nĭgrēscĕre_ ＞ negrezir, _nĭgrum_ ＞ nẹgre nẹir,[65] _peregrīnum_ ＞
pelegri, _pĭgrĭtia_ ＞ pigręza. Purely learned words have gr everywhere:
_agricultura_.
G´r: see Yr.
Lr usually remained unaltered, but in some dialects became ldr[66]:
vălēr’ hábe̯o ＞ valrai valdrai, ✱vólēr’ hábe̯o ＞ volrai voldrai.
Mr ＞ mbr: _camĕra_ ＞ cambra, _memorāre_ ＞ membrar, _nŭmĕrum_ ＞ nọmbre.
Nr usually remained unaltered, but in some dialects became ndr[66]
_cĭnĕrem_ ＞ cẹnre cẹndre, _dīe Vĕnĕris_ ＞ divenres divendres,
_in-gĕnerāre_ ＞ engenrar, _Henrīcum_ ＞ Enric, _expōnĕre_ ＞ espọnre
espọndre, ✱_gĕnĕrem_ (= _gĕnus_) ＞ genre, _gĕnĕrum_ ＞ genre gendre,
_honorāre_ ＞ onrar ondrar, _tenēr’ habeo_ ＞ tenrai tendrai, _venīr’
habeo_ ＞ venrai vendrai.
Pr ＞ br: _capra_ ＞ cabra, _cŭperāre_ ＞ cobrar, _erĭpĕre_ ＞ erẹbre,
_ŏpĕra_ ＞ ǫbra, _pauper_ ＞ paubre, ✱_pĭperāta_ ＞ pebrada, _recĭpĕre_
＞ recẹbre, _sŭperāre_ ＞ sobrar, _sŭper_ ＞ sọbre. Purely learned
words have pr: _caprin_. It is uncertain whether _paupre_ (beside the
usual _paubre_) is a Latinism or represents some dialect in which au
prevented voicing.
Sr ＞ str: ✱_ĕssĕre_ (= _ĕsse_) ＞ ęstre. For ęsser, see § 49, (2).
Tr ＞ dr ＞ ðr ＞ ir: _amātor_ ＞ amaire, _fratrem_ ＞ fraire, _latro_ ＞
laire, _mater_ ＞ maire, _ŭtĕrem_ ＞ ọire, _pĕtra_ ＞ pęira, _Pĕtrus_ ＞
Pęires, _petrōnem_ ＞ peirọ, _petrōsus_ ＞ peirọs, _pre(s)by̆tĕrum_
(_Einf._, § 140) ＞ prevẹire, _servītor_ ＞ servire, _vĭtrum_ ＞ vẹire.
Learned words have dr and tr: ✱_poenĭtĕre_ ＞ _penedre_ (_penedir_),
_impetrāre_ ＞ _impetrar_.
Yr ＞ ir: _frīgĕre_ ＞ frire, _lĕgĕre_ ＞ lęyre.
Zr ＞ zdr: _mīsĕrunt_ + ✱_mĭssĕrunt_ ＞ ✱mẹzron mẹsdron.
1. _Redebre_ (beside _rezemér_) ＜ _redĭmere_ has apparently
been influenced by _recebre_. The Burgundian _sor_ for _sobre_
comes from the prefix _sŭr-_ (_sŭr-rīdēre_, etc.). _Perri_ ＜
✱_pētrīnum_ is probably French.
71. A group of three consonants nearly always remained unchanged,
except that double consonants became single: _ŭmbra_ ＞ ọmbra,
_arbŏrem_ ＞ arbre, _sepŭlcrum_ ＞ sepulcre, ✱_canc(e)rōsus_ ＞ cancrọs,
✱_addīrēctum_ ＞ adrẹit, _fŭndĕre_ ＞ fọndre, _ardĕre_ ＞ ardre,
✱_offerīre_ ＞ offrir, ✱_Hungaría_ ＞ Ongria, _rŭmpĕre_ ＞ rọmpre,
_apprĕssum_ ＞ apręs, _asprum_ ＞ aspre, _ŭltra_ ＞ ọltra, _intrāre_ ＞
entrar, _mo(n)strāre_ ＞ mostrar, _mĭttĕre_ ＞ mẹtre. Lβr and rg´r,
however, regularly became ldr and rdr, and llr became ldr to the same
extent as lr (q. v.): _absŏlvĕre_ ＞ absǫldre (_absolvre_ is probably a
Latinism), _pŭlvĕrem_ ＞ pọldre; ✱_dē-ēr’ gĕre_ ＞ dẹrdre; _tollĕre_
＞ tǫlre tǫldre. Rmr became rbr in _marmor_ ＞ marbre (also marme).
Prendre often became penre (perhaps to distinguish it from pendre ＜
_pĕndĕre_) through the analogy of genre gendre, etc.; the first r
having been lost by dissimilation.
1. The four-consonant group sbtr is reduced to str in _prestre_
＜ _prĕsby̆ter_. _Prever_ is perhaps a proclitic syncopation of
a V. L. ✱_preβiter_. Cf. § 78, 1.