Etymological Comment

Phonetic Analysis

• Latin: Capitia

Modern Spanish: Cabeza

1)/Kapitia/>/Kapetia/ when /i/ weakens to /e/

2) /Kapetia / > /Kaßetia/ when the intervocalic voiced stopped /p/ weakens to the fricative /ß/ due to lenition

3) /Kaßetia / > /kaßetja/ yod is formed

4) /kaßetja / > /Kaßedza/ the cluster of /t+yod/ yields /dz/

5) /Kaßedza / > /Kaßetsa/ /dz/ weakens to /ts/

6) /Kaßetsa / > /Kaßesa /after complete lenition of /t/

Written Cabeza

 

 

•  Latin: Apertus

Modern Spanish: Abierta

1) /Apertus/>/Apertu/ after loss of word final /s/

2) /Apertu / > /Aßertu/ after the intervocalic voiced stopped /p/ weakens to the fricative /ß/ due to the intervocalic position

3) /Aßertu / > /Aßiertu/ after epenthesis of /i/ creating diphthong /ie/

4) /Aßiertu / > /Aßierta/ after lenition of word final high back /u/ to low back /a/

Written Abierta

 

• Latin: Mulier

Modern Spanish: mujer

1) /Mulier/ >/Muljer/ after formation of yod

2) /Muljer / >/Muʎer/ because the cluster of /l+yod/ creates the voiced palatal lateral approximate /ʎ/

3) /Muʎer / >/Mudzer/ after the /ʎ/ yields the voiced post-alveolar fricative /z/

4) /Mudzer / >/Muxer/ after the post-alveolar fricative /z/ becomes the voiceless velar fricative /x/

Written Mujer

 

• Latin: Bucca

Modern Spanish: Boca

1) /Buka/> /Boka/ after the high back /u/ become the mid back /o/

Boca in spelling after the assimilation of /cc/ to /c/

 

 

• Latin: Oculus

Modern Spanish: Ojo

1) /Okulus/> /Oklus/ after syncope of unstressed /u/

2) /Oklus />/Oʎo/ after /kl/ cluster evolves

3) /Oʎo />/Ozo/ after /ʎ/ weakens to post-alveolar fricative /z/

4) /Ozo />/Oxo/ when /z/ typically evolves into the voiceless velar fricative /x/

written Ojo

 

• Latin: Noctem

Modern Spanish: Noche

1) /Noktem/> /Nockte/ after loos of word final consonant /m/

2) / Nockte />/Nojte/ due to the palatalization of /kt/ cluster which produces a yod creating a diphthong> this process of palatalization then yields voiceless post alveolar affricative /tƒ/

Written Noche

 

• Latin: Inimicus

Modern Spanish: enimigo

1) /Inimikus/> /Inimiku/ after loss of word final s

2) / Inimiku />/Enimiku/ after lenition of high front /i/ to mid front /e/

3) / Enimiku />/Enimiko/ after lenition of word final high back /u/ to mid back /o/

4) / Enimiko />/Enimigo/ after lenition of stopped lingua-velar voiceless /k/ to stopped lingua-velar voiced /g/

Written Enemigo

 

• Latin: Sentire

Modern Spanish: Sienta

1) /Sentire/ > /Sentre/ after syncope of unstressed vowel /i/

2) / Sentre / > /Siente/ after epthnthisis of /i/

3)/ Siente / > /Sienta/ after word final /e/ becomes /a/

 

 

• Latin: Terra

Modern Spanish: Tierra

1) /Terra/ > /Tierra/ after epenthesis of /i/ yielding the diphthong /ie/

 

 

• Latin: Corporis

Modern Spanish: Cuerpo

1) /Korporis/ > /Korpors/ after syncope of unstressed vowel /i/

2) /Korpors / > /Korpo/ after deletion of /rs/ cluster

3)/ Korpo / > /Kurpo/ after strengthening of /o/ to /u/

4) / Kurpo / > /Kuerpo/ after epenthesis of /e/ creating diphthong /ue/

Written Cuerpo

 

• Latin: Clamare

Modern Spanish: Llamar

1) /Klamare/ > / Klamar/ after loss of word final vowel /e/

2) /Klamar/> /ʎamar/ after Palatalization of /kl/ cluster leads to the /ʎ/ sound the grapheme for which is written /ll/

Written Llamar

 

• Latin: Dicere

Modern Spanish: Decir

1) /Dicere/ >/Dicer/ after the loss of word-final vowel /e/

2) /Decir/ after metathesis of /i/ and /e/

 

 

Verbal Morphology

 

1. Dēcernunt > deciden >deciden > Decidir

Class II verb in present indicative form; rhizotonic, no allomorphy. The conjugation is typical in that the /en/ developed from the Latin 3^rd plural ending /unt/.

• /Dēcérnere/ > /Decener/ after syncope of unstressed syllable
• /Decener/ > /Deceder/ after strengthening of the nasal voiced lingua alveolar /n/ to the stopped voiced lingua alveolar /d/
• /Deceder/ > /Decidir/ After the evolution of the /e/ to /i/ and analogy of the second /i/

 

2. Perdet Habebat > perdet[eat] > perdería> perder

Class IV verb in the conditional form; rhizotonic; perder is a non-allomorphic verb in the conditional form. The conditional form did not exist in Latin it developed later on in the romance languages as an offset. The /ía/ ending developed from the /ea/ ending in Latin.

• /perdet/> /perder/ after lenition of the voiceless stopped lingua-alveolar /t/weakens to the liquid voiced lingua-palatal /r/

 

3. Decḗbant > dizian > Decian> Decir

Class IV verb in imperfect indicative form; arhizotonic; allomorphic verb following the boot pattern wherein the 1^st singular follows a different pattern from the 2^nd and 3^rd singular and the 3^rd plural while the 1^st plural and 2^nd plural has an entirely different pattern; in this case it occurs because the stressed vowel is not in the stem. Thus we get digo, dices, dice, decimos, decìes, dicen in the present. The 3^rd plural ending for Spanish /ían/ developed from the 3^rd plural ending /ant/ in Latin.

• /Dicere/ > /Dicer/ after loss of word-final vowel /e/
• /Dicer / > /Decir/ after metathesis of /i/ and /e/

 

4. Habuḗrunt > ouieron > Hubieron > Haber (preterit) 146

Class II verb in the perfect preterit form; arhizotonic; allomorphic verb, wherein there are different spellings and pronunciations of the same word. Like other allomorphic verbs, it follows the boot pattern. In the present tense, it is conjugated he, has, ha, hemos, han.

• /Habere/ > /Haber/ after loss of word-final vowel /e/
• /Haber/ > /Aber/after complete lenition of /h/ however the grapheme ‘h’ remains in writing

 

5. Plorā́tum > Plorando> Llorando>llorar

Class I verb in the perfect participle form; rhizotonic; no allomorphy; participle endings in Spanish /ido/ and /ando/ are derived from the Latin endings of /udo/ and /ītu/. Typically in Spanish the perfect participle is preceded by haber that signals who the action is in relation to. I think that in Cantar de Mio Cid it was dropped for stylistic purposes. Llorar is conjugated in the typical manner, lloro, lloras, llora, lloramos, and lloran.

• /Plorare/ > /Plorar/ after loss of word-final /e/
• /plorar/> /llorar/ after palitization of /pl/ cluster to /ʎ/ written “ll”

 

6. Fabulari > Fablo> Habló

Class 1 verb in the present perfect form; richzotonic; non-allomorphic.

• /Fabulari/> /fabular/ after loss of word final vowel /i/
• /Fabular/ > /Fablar/ after syncope of unstressed vowel /u/
• /Fablar/ > /Hablar/ after lenition of fricative voiceless labiodental /f/ to fricative voiceless glottal /h/
• /Hablar/ >/Ablar/ after complete lenition of /h/ however the grapheme remains in writing

 

 

Noun Adjective Morphology

1. “a mio çid Ruy diaz” (line 25)

• This is an example of the personal “a” in Spanish. Spanish lost the Latin case marking system but developed a new one known as “the personal a”. The “personal a” is a marker of human objects or objects that pose human characteristics.

 

2. “Vio las puertas abiertas”

• The Spanish noun ‘Puerta’ is derived from the Latin noun ‘Porta’ of the first declension. It is a feminine noun.

 

3. “considerara estas palabras”

• The Spanish noun “Palabra” is derived from the Latin noun “Parabola” of the first declension. It is classified as a feminine noun.

 

4. “Ea quel que gela diesse”

• This is an example of how in Latin every personal pronoun was capable of standing alone. In the modern version of the text it is translated “Y si alguno se la diese” because pronouns are always accompanied. In Spanish they are often only used in order to emphasize the meaning of something.

 

5. “No la rompía por la fuerza”

• The Spanish noun “Fuerza” comes from the Latin noun “fortia” of the first declension. It is classified as a feminine noun derived from the neuter plural Fortis.

 

6. “Nos echan de nuestra tierra”

• “Nos” is an example of the Spanish first plural pronoun that developed from the Latin dative NŌS. It signifies to whom one is referring.