CHANGES IN SYNTAGMATICS OF INITIAL CONSONANTAL CLUSTERS REGISTERED IN OLD ENGLISH

Abstract

The paper presents the results of а detailed analysis of syntagmatic specifi city of initial consonantal clusters, registered in the Old English period of the English language development, viewed in terms of their basic phonetic characteristics and their behavior under different phonotactic conditions. Considering the data on the bi-, three- and four-consonantal clusters frequency and the results of the performed analysis, the author gives characteristics of the nomenclature of initial consonantal clusters typical of this period, outlines the regularities of their occurrence in the word structure as well as describes the dynamics of their changes during this period. The results of the research confi rm that qualitative characteristics of clusters depend on the place of the consonants articulation, while the position of a consonant in the cluster is conditioned by the manner of its articulation. The identifi ed processes, which led to historical changes, open up possibilities for
further studies of historical phonotactics with an aim of fi nding parallels of processes taking place in present-day English.