The Phonemic Status of Gothic w h q

The Gothic letter that is now usually transcribed as w occurs in the MSS as a cursive form of the Greek majuscule Y. So far as scribal spelling is concerned, this letter creates no complications; it is used consistently and without confusion in both native and foreign words. On the other hand, modern interpretations of Go. w may become fairly complex, involving nuances of pronunciation that the scribes either disregarded or failed to recognize. All told, Go. w has been assigned five different values—two vocalic, one semivocalic, one spirant, and one purely non-phonetic

Linguistics · Lexicography and Language Studies · Linguistics and language evolution · Philosophy · Psychology · Swearing, Euphemism, Multilingualism