The lengthening of vowels before the tautosyllabic r may take different forms depending on the dialect. This feature is even used as one of the criteria in the classification of dialects. The traditional division of Central Latvian into three parts (those in Vidzeme, Zemgale, and Kurzeme) follows the different develop- ment of diphthongal sequences with r. In fact, the same criterion may be used with respect to the whole Latvian area because the results of the lengthening in the central part of Vidzeme belonging to Central Latvian are the same as in the western part, included in the Livonianized dialect, and it is also true for the two dialects in Kurzeme. As for High Latvian, it is characterized by its own type of vowel lengthening before r, which nevertheless continues the trend seen in Vidzeme. The following characterization is based on Rudzīte (1964, 1993), Endzelīns (1951), and partly on Rūķe (1939, 1940).
The situation in Standard Latvian coincides with that in Vidzeme and part of Zemgale. Non-high vowels are lengthened before the tautosyllabic r under the level and the falling tones. Non-high vowels under the broken tone are not lengthe- ned, and high vowels remain short independently of the tone (see 13 and 14,
here partly repeated as 19 and 20; for the sake of space, I only give examples with back vowels).
(19) Lengthened non-high vowels under the level and the falling tones (Vidzeme, Zemgale)
*var̃na>[ˈvɑːːrnɑ] ‘crow’
*dàrzi>[ˈdɑːrzi] ‘garden’ (nom.pl)
(20) a. short non-high vowels under the broken tone (Vidzeme, Zemgale) [ˈdɑrˀbi] ‘labor’ (nom.pl)
b. short high vowels (Vidzeme, Zemgale) [ˈkurːpe] ‘shoe’
[ˈurba] ‘drill’ (pst.3) [ˈpurˑˀns] ‘snout’
In areas where the falling and the broken tones have merged together, the vowels are long in syllables with the historical falling tone (21a) and short under the historical broken tone (21b).
(21) a. historical falling tone (Vidzeme, Zemgale) *dàrzi>[ˈdɑːrzi]>[ˈdɑːˀrzi] ‘garden’ (nom.pl)
b. historical broken tone (Vidzeme, Zemgale) [ˈdɑrˀbi] ‘labor’ (nom.pl)
High Latvian is similar to the Vidzeme area in that it also confines the lengthening to syllables with the falling tone (22a), which corresponds to both the falling and the level tones in the Vidzeme subdialect of Central Latvian. Under the broken tone (the rising tone in Selonian), no lengthening occurs (22b).8 But, as distinct from Vidzeme, the lengthening in High Latvian affects high vowels.
(22) a. lengthened vowels under the falling tone (High Latvian) *dàrzi>[ˈduərzʲi] ‘garden’ (nom.pl)
*kựrpe>[ˈkuːrpʲổ] ‘shoe’
b. short vowels under the broken tone (High Latvian) [ˈdorˀbi] ‘labor’ (nom.pl)
[purˀns] ‘snout’
8 The lengthening of the first components of all diphthongal sequences, rather than only those with r, is found under the broken/rising tone in some High Latvian areas, but this is a much later change as can be easily seen from the vocalism; cf. [ˈdɑrzi] ‘garden’ (nom.pl)>[ˈdɑ:rzi]>[ˈduərzi]
and [kɑlˀns] ‘hill’>[ko:ˀlns].
In the Kurzeme area of Central Latvian (traditionally called the Curonian sub- dialect) and the northern part of Kurzeme belonging to the Livonianized dialect, the vowel lengthening before r involves both non-high and high vowels and occurs independently of the tone (23). The lengthening of [i], [u] may yield not only long [iː], [uː] but also [iə], [uə].
(23) Lengthened vowels in all contexts (Kurzeme) [ˈvɑːːrnɑ] ‘crow’
[ˈdɑːrzi] ‘garden’ (nom.pl) [ˈdɑːˀrbi] ‘labor’ (nom.pl) [ˈkuːːrpe] or [ˈkuəːrpe] ‘shoe’
[ˈuːˀrbɑ] or [ˈuəˀrbɑ] ‘drill’ (pst.3) [puːˀrns] or [puəˀrns] ‘snout’
Still, in several smaller areas in the northern part of Kurzeme tone-related restrictions are applied to high vowels in a way not dissimilar to Vidzeme and High Latvian. Here, high vowels are only lengthened if the diphthongal sequen- ces bear the level tone (24a), whereas under the merged broken-falling tone no lengthening takes place (24b).
(24) a. lengthened high vowels under the level tone (northern Kurzeme) mir̃t>[miːːrt] or [miəːrt] ‘die’
dur̃t>[duːːrt] or [duəːrt] ‘stab’
b. short high vowels under the merged broken-falling tone (northern Kurzeme) [ˈzirˀgɑm] ‘horse’ (dat.sg)
[purˀns] ‘snout’
At least one of these smaller areas, namely, Dundaga, is reported to actually have no tone on those diphthongal sequences with r that bear the merged bro- ken-falling tone in other places in Kurzeme (see 25) (Adamovičs 1923: 103). The tautosyllabic r is described as being shorter in comparison to other sonorants in
“normal” diphthongal sequences under either of the tones (cf. Section 2.2). I will return to this anomaly in Section 2.6.
(25) Short high vowels under the merged broken-falling tone (Dundaga in northern Kurzeme)
[ˈzirˀgɑm]>[ˈzirgɑm] ‘horse’ (dat.sg) [purˀns]>[purns] ‘snout’
The part of the Zemgale area of Central Latvian that does not follow the Vidzeme pattern has a special place in the classification, because instead of
lengthening the vowel before r, here, a short anaptyctic vowel is inserted after r (and l). The insertion is found under the same conditions as the lengthening in Kurzeme, that is, after any vowel and under any of the tones (see 26).
(26) Anaptyctic vowel in Zemgale *var̃na>[ˈvɑrɑnɑ] ‘crow’
*darbi>[ˈdɑrɑbi] ‘labor’ (nom.pl.)̂ *kur̃pe>[ˈkurape] ‘shoe’
The reflexes of diphthongal sequences with r in different Latvian dialects are summed up in Table 5. It is not hard to notice that the Latvian language area splits up into two major parts with respect to the conditions of this change. In Vidzeme, the adjacent part of Zemgale, and the whole High Latvian territory, the change does not happen if the syllable has the broken, or the corresponding rising, tone.
This will be further referred to as East Latvian. In Kurzeme, as well as the rest of Zemgale (with anaptyxis), the change has no restrictions on either tone or vowel quality. I will refer to these dialects as West Latvian. The uniformity of the condi- tions in West Latvian is especially striking because the processes themselves are different in Kurzeme and Zemgale.
To complete the picture of the changes affecting diphthongal sequences with r in Latvian dialects, one more development must be mentioned, namely, the deletion of r after the lengthened vowel, which sporadically takes place in Central Latvian (see 27).
(27) *var̃na>[ˈvɑːːrnɑ]>[ˈvɑːːnɑ] ‘crow’
*svàrki>[ˈsvɑːrki]>[ˈsvɑːki] ‘coat’
I will comment on the deletion of r in Section 2.7.
Tab. 5: Lengthening of vowels before tautosyllabic r in Latvian dialects Standard Latvian
Vidzeme and Zemgale (without anaptyxis)
High Latvian Kurzeme Zemgale (with
anaptyxis)
Non-high vowels Any vowel Any vowel
Not under broken tone Not under broken/
rising tone Any tone
East Latvian West Latvian