La Bretagne Linguistique (Jun 2015)
La palatalisation vannetaise
Abstract
Palatalisation of the velar occlusives (/k g/, pronounced /ʧ ʤ/) is today the most emblematic trait of the Vannetais dialects. Historically, however, this feature has not always been highlighted. In the 18th century, Le Pelletier and Cillart de Kerampoul made no mention of it. In 1732, Grégoire de Rostrenen described a phenomenon that was quite different from any found in the present-day dialects. Are we right therefore to assume that palatalisation is as old as has long been supposed? I propose to re-examine this question, counterbalancing the contribution of geolinguistics with other underexploited sources. I will try to demonstrate the hypothesis that there were two waves of palatalisation, in other words that a dorso-palatal pronunciation was followed by a much more recent apico-palatal pronunciation. The dynamic and unstabilised nature of the phenomenon when it was mapped as well as the concomitant hyper-vernacularisation of Breton would seem to a large extent to explain the apparent irrationality of the field data.
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