Second Consonant Shift
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The Second or High German Consonant Shift is a sound change that took place in around AD 500 and which affected the southern or High German dialects. In these dialects initial, medial, and final West-Germanic */p, t, k/ shifted to fricatives and affricates.
The following table illustrates the effect of the Second Consonant Shift (shifts of initial, medial and final p, t, k):
| High German | Low German | English | Dutch | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| p | Pfeife | Piep | pipe | pijp |
| Apfel | Auppel | apple | appel | |
| Schaf | Schoop | sheep | schaap | |
| t | Zeit | Tiet | tide | tijd |
| setzen | setten | set | zetten | |
| groß | groot | great | groot | |
| k | Kalb | Kaulf | calf | kalf |
| machen | moken | make | maken | |
| Dach | Dack | thatch | dak |
Note: Initial /k/ only shifted in the extreme southern dialects (e.g. Swiss German Kchriesi ‘cherry’, cf. German Kirsche).