Verner's law


nounLinguistics.
  1. the statement by K. Verner of a regularity behind some apparent exceptions in the Germanic languages to Grimm's law, namely, that Proto-Germanic voiceless fricatives became voiced when between voiced sounds if the immediately preceding vowel was not accented in Proto-Indo-European.

Origin of Verner's law

1
First recorded in 1890–95

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British Dictionary definitions for Verner's law

Verner's law

/ (ˈvɜːnəz) /


noun
  1. linguistics a modification of Grimm's Law accommodating some of its exceptions. It states that noninitial voiceless fricatives in Proto-Germanic occurring as a result of Grimm's law became voiced fricatives if the previous syllable had been unstressed in Proto-Indo-European

Origin of Verner's law

1
C19: named after Karl Adolph Verner (1846–96), Danish philologist, who formulated it

Derived forms of Verner's law

  • Vernerian (vɜːˈnɛərɪən), adjective

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