What question did this study set out to answer?

To analyze and detail the phenomenon of vowel insertion in Old Saxon, particularly its variability and mechanisms.

April 1, 2026Open Access

Old Saxon Vowel Insertion

Key Points

To analyze and detail the phenomenon of vowel insertion in Old Saxon, particularly its variability and mechanisms.
Conducted a corpus-based analysis of Old Saxon manuscripts.
Examined vowel insertions within heterorganic post-nucleic liquid–consonant sequences.
Compared differences across manuscripts and lemmas.
Identified sporadic vowel insertions in Old Saxon texts.
Demonstrated that vowel intrusion is distinct from typical vowel epenthesis.
Revealed variability in insertion patterns across different manuscripts.

Abstract

Abstract Old Saxon shows sporadic vowel insertions, a phenomenon whereby a vowel is inserted into heterorganic post-nucleic liquid–consonant sequences. The process is highly variable, and differences occur within and across manuscripts and lemmas. Moreover, the phenomenon is under-researched and has hitherto been analyzed as a mechanism to dissolve challenging liquid–consonant clusters by causing resyllabification of the liquid. This article provides a corpus-based analysis of the Old Saxon vowel insertions to establish the most detailed investigation of the process thus far. The findings suggest that the Old Saxon phenomenon is an instance of vowel intrusion rather than phonological vowel epenthesis. *

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