Tīa 'toe' and Old Gutnish Sources of Long ī

Abstract

Explanations of the long ī in the Old Gutnish tīa ‘toe’ (>ModGu taia) have been put forward that posit different ablaut grades than the Proto-Germanic *taihwōn which underlies the forms found in other Germanic languages. This is because it was thought the Old Gutnish form could not reflect the standard proto-form. This paper concludes on the basis of the parallel development of *slaihwōn ‘sloe berry’, which appears as ModGu slaia, that long ī can in fact continue the Proto-Germanic sequence *-aihw- as the result of regular sound development.