Notas sobre la «ley de alargamiento de Wackernagel»

Abstract

Against the traditional explanation of the initial vowel's lengthening in second member of compound, the so called «Wackernagel's Law of lengthening», it is possible a different proposal, already suggested in some places to try to explain the law. According to this analysis, a process of elision or glide formation and compensatory lengthening, instead of, or alongside, the primitive vowel contraction and subsequent analogical extension of its result proposed by Wackernagel should be recognized. This process of vowel hiatus resolution has parallels in other languages, and allows a more suitable study of the available examples.