THE
HIGH GERMAN CONSONANT SHIFT
English
and the Low German languages-Dutch, Flemish, and Plattdeutsch differ from Modern
Standard German partly because Standard German has undergone a second or High
German Consonant Shift. English preserves the older common Germanic sounds which
were changed in High German between the sixth and the eighth centuries.
The following chart summarizes those parts of the Second Consonant Shift.
( A complete statement of the High German Consonant Shift would require
some additional remarks about sounds and positions. The chart does, however,
include the most important changes.)
Below are some English and High German cognates that show sound correspondence according to the Second Consonant Shift.