What is the name of a sound shift law under which the Proto-Germanic vowel "e" changes to the English "i", e.g.
*fehtaną (fechten) -> fight;
*rehtaz (recht) -> right
Linguistics Stack Exchange is a question and answer site for professional linguists and others with an interest in linguistic research and theory. It only takes a minute to sign up.
Sign up to join this communityWhat is the name of a sound shift law under which the Proto-Germanic vowel "e" changes to the English "i", e.g.
*fehtaną (fechten) -> fight;
*rehtaz (recht) -> right
As mentioned in this other answer:
In Old English, front vowels […] got raised before
/xt/
. This is why vowels before English ght are generally higher than before German cht: see also recht~right, etc.