Surface filter
Encyclopedia
In linguistics
, a surface filter is type of sound change
that does not operate on a single set of sounds at a particular point in time, but continues to operate over a longer period. Surface filters normally affect any phonetic combination that is not permitted according to the language's phonetic rules, and therefore exist as a way to preserve the phonotactics
of that language. They are also often a source of complementary distribution
between certain sets of sounds.
A trivial example of a surface filter is the replacement of sounds that are foreign to the language with sounds that are native to the language they are borrowed into. For example, a language that has no front rounded vowels may replace such vowels with either front unrounded or back rounded vowels, whenever it borrows a word containing such a vowel. Strictly speaking this is not a surface filter, since it is merely the way in which the phonetics of one language are matched to that of another. But it does illustrate the importance of surface filters in preserving the phonological structure of words within the language. Usually, the term "surface filter" applies only to rules that affect natively constructed words as well as borrowings.
, in which voiced
obstruents that occur at the end of a word are automatically converted to their unvoiced counterpart. Such a sound change is not a regular sound change. If it were, the devoicing would occur only at a fixed point in time, and any new words that enter the language at a later stage might end in voiced obstruents after all. But this does not happen; any new words are automatically "passed through the filter" and their final obstruents are devoiced automatically. This happens even as a result of apocope
of final vowels, which causes non-final obstruents to become final. A historical example in Dutch occurs in many verbs, such as blazen ("to blow"). The original Middle Dutch
first-person singular form was blaze, but when the final -e was lost, the form did not become *blaaz (doubling of the a being merely a spelling convention); the now-final -z was automatically devoiced to create the modern form blaas.
Two other examples of surface filters, which occurred in the history of the Germanic languages
, are Sievers' law
and the Germanic spirant law
. In the former, there was a restriction on the distribution between -j- and -ij-, so that -j- could only appear after a consonant following a short vowel, and -ij- would occur anywhere else. This process was automatic, and affected newly created words and loanwords as well: the three-syllable Latin word puteus ("pit, well") for example was borrowed into Germanic as the two-syllable *putjaz, because the more faithful rendering *putijaz was not permitted by the phonological rules dictated by Sievers' law.
The Germanic spirant law, similarly, affected combinations of an obstruent followed by -t-. According to the formulation of the law, such obstruents were automatically converted into fricatives (with dentals becoming -s-) and devoiced. Again, a loanword from Latin exemplifies this: Latin *scriptum was borrowed into Germanic as *skriftiz, with the disallowed combination -pt- being replaced by -ft-.
Such phonological rules may continue to apply for an indefinite amount of time. Final obstruent devoicing in Dutch, for example was a phonological rule in the language already since the Old Dutch
period over a thousand years ago. The Germanic spirant law may have been formed as part of Grimm's law
long before written records began, but it ceased to operate shortly after the Germanic languages began to break up, around the middle of the first millennium.
Sometimes, sound changes occur that directly violate a surface filter, and this may cause it to cease operating. Sievers' law presumably lost relevance in the West Germanic languages after the operation of the West Germanic gemination
, since it eliminated the contrast between light and heavy syllables that was at the core of the law's operation.
Linguistics
Linguistics is the scientific study of human language. Linguistics can be broadly broken into three categories or subfields of study: language form, language meaning, and language in context....
, a surface filter is type of sound change
Sound change
Sound change includes any processes of language change that affect pronunciation or sound system structures...
that does not operate on a single set of sounds at a particular point in time, but continues to operate over a longer period. Surface filters normally affect any phonetic combination that is not permitted according to the language's phonetic rules, and therefore exist as a way to preserve the phonotactics
Phonotactics
Phonotactics is a branch of phonology that deals with restrictions in a language on the permissible combinations of phonemes...
of that language. They are also often a source of complementary distribution
Complementary distribution
Complementary distribution in linguistics is the relationship between two different elements, where one element is found in a particular environment and the other element is found in the opposite environment...
between certain sets of sounds.
A trivial example of a surface filter is the replacement of sounds that are foreign to the language with sounds that are native to the language they are borrowed into. For example, a language that has no front rounded vowels may replace such vowels with either front unrounded or back rounded vowels, whenever it borrows a word containing such a vowel. Strictly speaking this is not a surface filter, since it is merely the way in which the phonetics of one language are matched to that of another. But it does illustrate the importance of surface filters in preserving the phonological structure of words within the language. Usually, the term "surface filter" applies only to rules that affect natively constructed words as well as borrowings.
Examples
One very common example of a surface filter is final obstruent devoicingFinal obstruent devoicing
Final obstruent devoicing or terminal devoicing is a systematic phonological process occurring in languages such as German, Dutch, Polish, and Russian, among others...
, in which voiced
Voice (phonetics)
Voice or voicing is a term used in phonetics and phonology to characterize speech sounds, with sounds described as either voiceless or voiced. The term, however, is used to refer to two separate concepts. Voicing can refer to the articulatory process in which the vocal cords vibrate...
obstruents that occur at the end of a word are automatically converted to their unvoiced counterpart. Such a sound change is not a regular sound change. If it were, the devoicing would occur only at a fixed point in time, and any new words that enter the language at a later stage might end in voiced obstruents after all. But this does not happen; any new words are automatically "passed through the filter" and their final obstruents are devoiced automatically. This happens even as a result of apocope
Apocope
In phonology, apocope is the loss of one or more sounds from the end of a word, and especially the loss of an unstressed vowel.-Historical sound change:...
of final vowels, which causes non-final obstruents to become final. A historical example in Dutch occurs in many verbs, such as blazen ("to blow"). The original Middle Dutch
Middle Dutch
Middle Dutch is a collective name for a number of closely related West Germanic dialects which were spoken and written between 1150 and 1500...
first-person singular form was blaze, but when the final -e was lost, the form did not become *blaaz (doubling of the a being merely a spelling convention); the now-final -z was automatically devoiced to create the modern form blaas.
Two other examples of surface filters, which occurred in the history of the Germanic languages
Germanic languages
The Germanic languages constitute a sub-branch of the Indo-European language family. The common ancestor of all of the languages in this branch is called Proto-Germanic , which was spoken in approximately the mid-1st millennium BC in Iron Age northern Europe...
, are Sievers' law
Sievers' law
Sievers' law in Indo-European linguistics accounts for the pronunciation of a consonant cluster with a glide before a vowel as it was affected by the phonetics of the preceding syllable. Specifically it refers to the alternation between and , and possibly and , in Indo-European languages...
and the Germanic spirant law
Germanic spirant law
In linguistics, the Germanic spirant law or Primärberührung is a specific historical instance of dissimilation that occurred as part of an exception of Grimm's law in the ancestor of the Germanic languages.-General description:...
. In the former, there was a restriction on the distribution between -j- and -ij-, so that -j- could only appear after a consonant following a short vowel, and -ij- would occur anywhere else. This process was automatic, and affected newly created words and loanwords as well: the three-syllable Latin word puteus ("pit, well") for example was borrowed into Germanic as the two-syllable *putjaz, because the more faithful rendering *putijaz was not permitted by the phonological rules dictated by Sievers' law.
The Germanic spirant law, similarly, affected combinations of an obstruent followed by -t-. According to the formulation of the law, such obstruents were automatically converted into fricatives (with dentals becoming -s-) and devoiced. Again, a loanword from Latin exemplifies this: Latin *scriptum was borrowed into Germanic as *skriftiz, with the disallowed combination -pt- being replaced by -ft-.
Application
Surface filters are often formed as a result of sound changes that change the phonetic makeup in a way so that certain sounds or combinations no longer occur in the language. As a consequence of this, speakers no longer learn to pronounce these combinations and will therefore have difficulty with new words that violate these principles. At this point, two things can happen: either the phonology of the language is extended to incorporate such new combinations, or the "inconvenient" combinations are automatically reconstructed into a form that conforms to the phonotactics of the language. If this reconstruction occurs systematically and becomes part of the phonology of the language, the result is a surface filter.Such phonological rules may continue to apply for an indefinite amount of time. Final obstruent devoicing in Dutch, for example was a phonological rule in the language already since the Old Dutch
Old Dutch
In linguistics, Old Dutch denotes the forms of West Franconian spoken and written in the Netherlands and present-day northern Belgium during the Early Middle Ages. It is regarded as the primary stage in the development of a separate Dutch language...
period over a thousand years ago. The Germanic spirant law may have been formed as part of Grimm's law
Grimm's law
Grimm's law , named for Jacob Grimm, is a set of statements describing the inherited Proto-Indo-European stops as they developed in Proto-Germanic in the 1st millennium BC...
long before written records began, but it ceased to operate shortly after the Germanic languages began to break up, around the middle of the first millennium.
Sometimes, sound changes occur that directly violate a surface filter, and this may cause it to cease operating. Sievers' law presumably lost relevance in the West Germanic languages after the operation of the West Germanic gemination
West Germanic Gemination
West Germanic gemination is a sound change that took place in all West Germanic languages, around 300 AD. All single consonants except were geminated before . The second element of the diphthongs iu and au was still underlyingly at this time and therefore was still considered a consonant, so...
, since it eliminated the contrast between light and heavy syllables that was at the core of the law's operation.