The observation that certain Indo-European consonants (mainly stops) undergo regular changes in the Germanic languages which are not seen in others such as Greek or Latin. Examples include p becoming f so that Latin pedem corresponds to English foot and German Fuss. The principle was set out by Jacob Grimm in his German grammar (2nd edition, 1822).
In accordance with Grimm's law, the ‘h ‘in Greek corresponds to ‘s ‘in English, while ‘d ‘may soften to ‘t ‘and ‘p ‘or ‘b ‘to ‘f ‘or ‘v‘.
His interest in the relationship among Germanic languages led to his formulation of Grimm's law.
According to Grimm's law, the First Consonant Shift occurred when p, t, k in the ancient Indo-European languages (Latin, Greek, and Sanskrit) became f, t, h in Germanic languages.
Definition of Grimm's law in US English:
Grimm's law
nounˈɡrimz ˌlô
Linguistics
The observation that certain Indo-European consonants (mainly stops) undergo regular changes in the Germanic languages that are not seen in non-Germanic languages such as Greek or Latin. Examples include p becoming f so that Latin pedem corresponds to English foot and German Fuss. The principle was set out by Jacob Grimm in his German grammar (2nd edition, 1822).
In accordance with Grimm's law, the ‘h ‘in Greek corresponds to ‘s ‘in English, while ‘d ‘may soften to ‘t ‘and ‘p ‘or ‘b ‘to ‘f ‘or ‘v‘.
His interest in the relationship among Germanic languages led to his formulation of Grimm's law.
According to Grimm's law, the First Consonant Shift occurred when p, t, k in the ancient Indo-European languages (Latin, Greek, and Sanskrit) became f, t, h in Germanic languages.