In this section, I consider the durational characteristics of heavy stressed sylla- bles in the weak and strong grades of both types of gradation. I put aside those words in the first type of gradation (Table 11) that show light syllables in the weak grade (those with sonorants and voiced obstruents) and concentrate on words that have heavy syllables in both weak-grade and strong grade forms (those with voiceless obstruents in Table 11 and all examples in Tables 12–15).
Apart from the post-stressed lengthening in the weak grade, the lengthening of the first components of diphthongs and diphthongal sequences is the only feature that distinguishes the gradation types. The latter seems to be a recent development (Kettunen 1938: XXII; Viitso 2008: 306), and one can easily recon- struct the stage when diphthongs and diphthongal sequences only distinguis- hed the strong and the weak grade by the duration of the second component. At this stage, the alternation pattern for syllables with diphthongs and diphthongal sequences must have been the same as the one for syllables where a short vowel is followed by a voiceless obstruent (Table 16).
Tab. 16: Alternation pattern of heavy syllables
Weak grade (nom.sg) Strong grade (part.sg) Translation siepā [ˈsiəppɑː]
mõtsā [ˈmɯtsɑː]
< *seppa
< *metsa
sieppõ [ˈsiəpˑpə]
mõtsõ [ˈmɯtˑsə]
< *sepˑpa
< *metˑsa
‘smith’
‘forest’
āiga [ˈɑːigɑ(ː)]
āita [ˈɑːitɑ]
rānda [ˈrɑːndɑ(ː)]
< *aiga
< *aita
< *randa
aigõ [ˈɑiˑgə]
aitõ [ˈɑiˑtə]
randõ [ˈrɑnˑdə]
< *aiˑga
< *aiˑta
< *ranˑda
‘time’
‘threshing-barn’
‘shore’
lēba [ˈleːbɑ(ː)]
lǭda [ˈlɔːdɑ(ː)]
pūoga [ˈpuːəgɑ(ː)]
kīela [ˈkiːəlɑ(ː)]
lǭja [ˈlɔːjɑ(ː)]
< *lēiba
< *lāuda
< *pōiga
< *kēlla
< *lājja
< *leiba
< *lauda
< *poiga
< *kella
< *lajja
leibõ [ˈleiˑbə]
laudõ [ˈlɑuˑdə]
pȯigõ [ˈpɞiˑgə]
kiellõ [ˈkiəlˑlə]
laijõ [ˈlɑiˑjə]
< *leiˑba
< *lauˑda
< *poiˑga
< *kelˑla
< *lajˑja
‘bread’
‘table’
‘son’
‘clock’
‘boat’
Tab. 17: Gradation of related words in Estonian
Weak grade (gen.sg) Strong grade (part.sg) Translation
´sepa [ˈseppɑ]
´metsa [ˈmetsɑ]
´ranna [ˈrɑnnɑ]
´leiva [ˈleivɑ]
´laua [ˈlɑuwɑ]
´kella [ˈkellɑ]
`seppa [ˈsepˑpɑ̆]
`metsa [ˈmetˑsɑ̆]
`randa [ˈrɑnˑdɑ̆]
`leiba [ˈleiˑbɑ̆]
`lauda [ˈlɑuˑdɑ̆]
`kella [ˈkelˑlɑ̆]
‘smith’
‘forest’
‘shore’
‘bread’
‘table’
‘clock’
At the stage reconstructed in Table 16, the gradation of heavy syllables in Livonian must have looked very similar to the alternation in related words in Estonian12 (Table 17) where (apart from the alternation of consonants) strong-grade forms differ from weak-grade forms in what is called Estonian overlength.13 “Normal” (long) diphthongs have a short second component, whereas in overlong diphthongs, the second component is half-long. Intervocalic consonant clusters and geminates have a short first part is they are “simply” long and a half-long first part if they are overlong.
12 One must bear in mind that forms showing the weak and strong grades in Livonian and Estonian may be different.
13 In Estonian, there is no straightforward relationship between overlength and the strong grade.
For instance, a form in the strong grade may have a short syllable, and a form in the weak grade an overlong syllable, as in ´lagi [ˈlɑgiˑ] (nom.sg, strong grade) and `lae [lɑ͜eˑ] (gen.sg, weak grade).
As distinct from shortness and the “normal” length, overlength is a property of syllables or feet where it contrasts with the absence of overlength. The interac- tion between segmental and suprasegmental length creates the three degrees of length in the surface. The contrast for overlength is sometimes described in terms of accents, so that syllables with overlength have the heavy accent and syllables without overlength the light accent (see the overview of the analyses in Hint 1997:
285–287).14 Short vowels and consonants are identified with the light accent.
When necessary, in orthography, the heavy accent is marked with the grave <`>
before the syllable and the light accent with the acute <´>.
When represented as a result of interaction between segmental and sup- rasegmental length, Estonian overlength is reminiscent of the suprasegmental oppositions in the other languages of the region, including the Latvian tones.15 The two Estonian accents only contrast in heavy syllables that comprise syllab- les with long monophthongs or diphthongs and syllables where short monoph- thongs are followed by any consonant in the coda (see Table 18). Unlike the other languages, in Estonian, the accents are differentiated not only on “diphthongal sequences” with sonorants, but also on combinations of vowels with obstruents, normally, the strong ones.16 (After short vowels, weak obstruents only occur in coda position of unstressed syllables, where the accents are absent.) Light syllab- les are automatically given the light accent.
14 I do not like the terminology in Viitso (2003: 11), where he differentiates between short and long syllables, on the one hand, and light and heavy syllables, on the other, because “long”
and “heavy”, respectively, “short” and “light” usually mean the same things when applied to syllables.
15 Estonian is different from the other languages in that it uses duration as the main phonetic parameter of the suprasegmental contrast, which presents a challenge for those trying to represent the difference between overlength and the “normal” length in terms of moras (see Bye 1997). Another phonetic parameter of the Estonian accents is pitch. Overlength is associated with a falling contour, probably inherited from the disyllabic sequence that was substituted with the overlong syllable after syncope and apocope took place (Lehiste 2003: 55).
16 The manifestation of the accents on diphthongs and vowel-plus-consonant combinations in Estonian is comparable to the durational difference between the second components of diphthongs and diphthongal sequences under different tones in Latvian (see Section 2.2.), except that in Latvian the second component is claimed to be long under the level tone and half-long under the two other tones. The shortness of the second component, which is associated with the light accent in Estonian, in Latvian, leads to the loss of the tonal contrast, as I have shown by the development of r in Section 2.6.
Tab. 18: Syllables weight and accents in Estonian
Light accent Heavy accent
Q1 Q2 Q3
Light syllables (V) Heavy syllables (Vː, VV, VC)
Tab. 19: Reconstructed accents in Livonian Weak grade
Light accent (nom.sg.)
Strong grade Heavy accent (part.sg.)
Translation
*seppa
*metsa
*aiga
*aita
*randa
*leiba
*lauda
*poiga
*kella lajja
*sepˑpa
*metˑsa
*aiˑga
*aiˑta
*ranˑda
*leiˑba
*lauˑda
*poiˑga
*kelˑla
*laiˑja
‘smith’
‘forest’
‘time’
‘threshing-barn’
‘shore’
‘bread’
‘table’
‘son’
‘clock’
‘boat’
The comparison between Tables 16 and 17 shows that the Estonian-like con- trast between the heavy and the light accents can be also postulated for the pre- vious stage of Livonian where the strong grade of heavy syllables must have had the heavy accent and the weak grade the light accent, as shown in Table 19.17 The forms with intervocalic obstruents must have looked very similar to what they look now. The main difference from the Estonian accents is that the realization of post-stressed vowels as short or extra-short in Estonian automatically follows from the length of the preceding syllable, whereas in Livonian, there is no strict correlation between the reconstructed light accent and the post-stressed lengthe- ning. In other words, the difference in the duration of the second component, connected to the accents, was not regularly accompanied by the post-stressed lengthening.
17 See also Viitso (1974) and Kuleshov (2012), where accents are proposed for modern Livonian.
I propose that it is the lack of support from the post-stressed lengthening in weak-grade forms that initiated the lengthening of the first components of diph- thongs and diphthongal sequences in order to further differentiate the contrast between the syllables bearing the different accents. After the change, the Esto- nian-like contrast between the accents was replaced by the alternation of long and short vowels acting as the first component, the short vowel being automa- tically followed by a half-long second component in the strong grade. But with respect to the main issue of the chapter, it is important that the first components of diphthongs and diphthongal sequences were lengthened under one of the con- trasting accents.