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Article In: NOWELE
Vol. 79:2 (2026) ► pp.147–197

Ic banne kerecfrethe, stiurcfrethe, and tzerkfrede

The Frisian palatalisation and assibilation of *k re-examined

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Abstract
The present study investigates the palatalisation and subsequent assibilation of *k > *[c] > tz in Frisian. Both developments are considered to have been completed during the Proto-Frisian period, and similar developments occurred in the prehistory of English. However, spellings with ⟨k⟩ for expected tz that thus imply a lack of assibilation are common in Old Frisian, but their distribution has never been systematically studied. This study attempts to reconcile the conditions of palatalisation and the chronology of relevant sound changes with Old English, and it investigates assibilation using corpus data supplemented with Modern Frisian forms. The data show that initial k-spellings systematically predominate in the earliest layers of Old Frisian. Assibilation therefore occurred later than is typically assumed, and medial assibilation is found to predate initial assibilation.
Article outline
  • 1.Introduction
  • 2.Anglo-Frisian
    • 2.1Palatalisation in English
    • 2.2Palatalisation in Frisian
  • 3.Old Frisian
    • 3.1Issues regarding assibilation in Frisian
    • 3.2Resources and methodology
    • 3.3Initial assibilation
      • 3.3.1East Frisian: The Emsingo, Hunsingo, and Brokmerland codices
      • 3.3.2The Codex Unia
      • 3.3.3The Jus Municipale Frisonum and the Freeska Landriucht
      • 3.3.4Other Old West Frisian sources
      • 3.3.5Exceptions
    • 3.4Medial assibilation
    • 3.5Case studies
      • 3.5.1The Elder Skeltenariucht
      • 3.5.2The Synodal Law
      • 3.5.3The Seventeen Statutes
  • 4.Modern Frisian
    • 4.1Outcomes of assibilation
    • 4.2Kerke, tzerke, and tziurke
  • 5.Synthesis and conclusions
    • 5.1Palatalisation
    • 5.2Assibilation
  • Acknowledgements
  • Notes
  • References
References (86)
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