p
§ 51. The letter =p=, which does not occur very often in Gothic,
corresponds to Gr. π.
(a) +Initially+, =p= may be regarded as being altogether wanting in
purely Gothic words; the exampls which do occur ar either obviously
foren words or at least etymologically obscure, if not loanwords too:
=plinsjan=, _to dance_; =plats=, _pach_; =anapraggan=, _to harass_;
=paida=, _coat_; =puggs=, _purse_; =peikabagms=, _date-palm_; =pund=,
_pound_; =plapja=, _street_ ('platea'); =pistikeins=, πιστικός,
=paúrpura=, _purpl_.
(b) =p= occurs in purely Gothic words +medially+ and +finally+; e.
g., =slêpan=, _to sleep_; =greipan=, _to gripe_; =ƕôpan=, _to boast_;
=skapjan=, _to shape, make_; =hlaupan=, _to run_; =diups=, _deep_;
=waírpan=, _to throw_; =hilpan=, _to help_; =skip=, _ship_; =iup=,
_upwards_.--Initial =sp= in =speiwan=, _to spit_; =sparwa=, _sparrow_;
=spillôn=, _to narrate_; =spinnôn=, _to spin_.
NOTE 1. =pp= does not occur.
NOTE 2. =p= before =t= becums =f= in =gaskafts=, f., _creature_
(cp. =skapjan=); =ƕôftuli=, f., _glory_ (cp. =ƕôpan=). Cp. § 81.
f
§ 52. Gothic =f= in foren words corresponds to Gr. φ; e. g.,
=Filippus=, Φίλιππος; =Kajafa=, Καϊάφας. Latin writers render Goth. =f=
mostly by =ph= (Dietrich, p. 75); as, =Dagalaiphus=, =Phaeba=. Hense
Goth. =f= was probably a +bilabial+, not a labiodental spirant, as is
also evident from Goth. =fimf=, =hamfs=.
NOTE. =f= is regarded as labiodental by Jellinek; Zs. fda., 36, 275
et seq.
§ 53. (a) +Initial+ =f= occurs often in Gothic words; e. g., =fôtus=,
_foot_; =fadar=, _father_; =flôdus=, _flud_; =faíhu= (_catl_), _muney_;
=fûls=, _foul_; =frôþs=, _wise, judicious_; =frius=, _cold_; =fidwôr=,
_4_.
(b) +Medially+ and +finally+ =f= occurs in but a small number of
Gothic words; as, =hlifan=, _to steal_; =hafjan=, _to heav_; =hiufan=,
_to lament_; =lôfa=, m., _palm of the hand_; =ufar=, _over_; =afar=,
_after_. Before consonants: =luftus=, _air_; =hamfs=, _maimd_;
=tweifls=, _dout_; =wulfs=, _wolf_; --(final) =fimf=, _five_; =hôf=
(prt. of =hafjan=); =þarf=, _I need_ (inf. =þaúrban=).
NOTE 1. Finally and before the =s= of the nom., =f= occurs very
often for medial =b=; s. § 56.
NOTE 2. Medial =f= before =t= (=n=) stands for =b= (§ 56, n. 4),
before =t= also for =p= (§ 51, n. 2).
NOTE 3. =ff= is not found.
b
§ 54. =b= corresponds to Gr. β, for which it stands in foren words;
e. g., =barbarus=, βάρβαρος; =Iakôb=, Ἰακώβ. The pronunciation of
the Gr. β was that of a labial soft spirant [nearly = E. v]. In
like manner Goth. =b= has the value of a soft (voiced) labiolabial
spirant +medially+ after vowels, while +initially+ and medially after
consonants it denotes a soft stop (= E. b).
NOTE 1. Gothic =b= between vowels in Latin foren words stands for
Lt. v, but after =m= for b: =Silbanus=, _Silvanus_; =Naúbaímbaír=,
_November_; =(ana)kumbjan=, _cumbere_.
NOTE 2. In Gothic names Latin writers employ Lt. b for Gothic =b=
initially and after a consonant (as, =Amala-berga=, =Hildi-bald=,
=Albila=), but medially between vowels Lt. v is uzed (as, =Liuva=,
=Erelieva=); cp. Dietrich, p. 71; Beitr., 1, 148 et seq.; Wrede,
'Ostg.', 169; Zs. fda., 36, 275.
§ 55. Exampls of =b=:
(a) +initially+: =baíran=, _to bear_; =beitan=, _to bite_; =brikan=,
_to break_; =brûkjan=, _to uze_; =blêsan=, _to blow_; =biudan=, _to
offer_; =blôma=, _flower_; =brôþar=, _brother_; =bôka=, _letter_;
=bnauan=, _to rub_.
(b) +medially+: =liuba= (w. m. adj.), _dear_; =galaubjan=, _to believ_;
=graban=, _to dig_; =sibja=, _relationship_; =arbi=, _inheritance_;
=kalbô=, _hefer_; --=haubiþ=, _hed_; =hlaibis= (gen. of =hlaifs=),
_bred_; =sibun=, _seven_; =haban=, _to hav_; =skaban=, _to shave_;
=(bi-)leiban=, _to remain_; =liban=, _to liv_; =biraubôn=, _to rob_;
=salbôn=, _to salv, anoint_.
NOTE. =bb= occurs in foren words only; as, =sabbatus=.
§ 56. =b= after consonants (=l=, =m=, =r=) remains finally, before
the =s= of the nom., and before the =t= of the 2nd pers. sg. prt.;
postvocalic =b= becums =f=. This means that postvocalic =b= was a soft
spirant (§ 54) which, finally, changed into the corresponding hard
spirant, while postconsonantal =b=, medially and finally, had the
value of a stop. Hense =giban=, _to giv_, 1st and 3d pers. sg. prt.:
=gaf=, 2nd. pers. =gaft=, 2nd sg. imper.: =gif=; =hlaifs=, _bred_,
acc. =hlaif=, nom. pl. =hlaibôs=; --but =lamb=, _lam_; =dumbs=, _dum_;
=swaírban=, _to wipe_, prt. =swarb=.
NOTE 1. Our texts contain a few exceptions to the rule of final =f=
for medial =b= after vowels, but the preponderant number of exampls
prove the validity of the rule which is fonetically founded and
has a striking analogon in the OS. geƀan--gaf; lioƀo--liof (but
lamb). The exceptional cases with final =b= (21 in all) occur only
in definit parts of the texts (7 in Lu., 5 in the epistls to the
Thess., 4 in Jo., 3 in Skeir., in all the other texts only onse
each in Mk. and Eph.). Therefore the anomalous =b=s may be referd
to the writers of the respectiv parts, who either from purely
orthografic considerations put the medial =b=s also finally, or in
order to express a later pronunciation as it existed at their time,
according to which voiced sounds occurd also finally. The latter
supposition is founded on the fact that in the Arezzo document
(of the 6th century) the spelling =Gudilub= occurs.--Cp. also the
remarks on the interchange of =d= and =þ= in § 74, n. 1.
The exceptions in the verb ar rare, only =grôb= (Lu. VI, 48) and
=gadôb= (Skeir. 42); --the forms with =f= occur in =gaf=, =gaft=,
=gif= (very often); onse each: =grôf= (inf. =graban=), =swaif=
(inf. =sweiban=), =bilaif= (inf. =bileiban=), =skauf= (inf.
=skiuban=). Accordingly, we may safely write =draif= (prt. of
=dreiban=, _to drive_).
Of nouns only =hlaifs= is often found: nom. =hlaifs= (12 times,
onse =hlaibs=), acc. =hlaif= (19 times, =hlaib= seven times);
--=twalif=, _twelv_ (12 times, =twalib= 3 times); accordingly, also
=*ainlif= (dat. =ainlibim=).
Furthermore the following nominativs must be regarded as normal
forms: =*stafs=, _element_ (only =stabim= occurs); =*laufs=, _leaf_
(only =galaubamma= 3 times, =filugalaubis=, =galubaim=), =*gadôfs=,
_becuming_ (onse =gadôf=, 4 times =gadôb=), =*liufs=, _dear_
(only forms with more than one syllabl occur: =liubai=, =liuba=,
=liubana=, etc.). Lastly, also =*þiufs= (= OS. thiof), _thief_, tho
the nom. accidentally occurs (4 times) as =þiubs=, beside =þiubôs=
(twice), =þiubê=.
NOTE 2. Subject to the abuv rule ar also the preps. =of= and =uf=,
the =f= of which becums medial by enclisis and is changed into
=b= before the following vowel; =ab-u=, =ub-uh=. In composition,
however, =f= remains: =af-êtja=, _voracious eater_; =uf-aiþeis=,
_under oath_. (Cp. =us= in § 78, n. 4).
NOTE 3. An apparent exception is =þarf=, _I want_ (for =þarb=), pl.
=þaúrbum=; but =þarf= has real =f= (§ 53) and must be kept apart
from the pl. with =b= (s. ahd. gr., § 101). =b= stands correctly in
the adj. =gaþaúrbs=. Cp. § 79, n. 2.
NOTE 4. =f= before =t= in derivativ words stands for =b= elsewhere
(§ 81): =gifts=, f., _gift_ (< =giban=, onse =fragibtim=; Lu. I,
27), =þaúrfts=, _necessity_. =b= is common before =n=: =ibns=,
=stibna=, =daubnan=, =drôbnan=, but the ending =-ubni= interchanges
with =-ufni=; as, =fraistubni=, _temptation_, but =waldufni=,
_power_; =aflifnan=, _to remain, be left_; cp. =laiba=, _remnant_.