"However, that being said, the loss of voice-distinction helps
explain the
development of the Younger Futhark..."
--It was probably to some degree because of an awareness of the
concept of voiced/unvoiced sounds that this simplification of the
futhark was made. The Ving Age norsemen were phoneticians!
Because of the fact that most scandinavian dialects - developed from
Viking Age Norse - still have this distinction, the futhark
simplification can't have anything to do with a loss of the
distinction.
A funny thing: a Jamtlandic dialect ("Strömsmål") in my own
neighbourhood has made the following phonetical simplification:
Old Norse 'bb', 'dd' and 'gg' has become voiceless to coincide
completely with 'pp', 'tt' and 'kk' respectively.
Dialects spoken in Herjedalen just south of Jamtlandic area have kept
the voiced 'bb', 'dd' and 'gg' but has a pre-aspiration in the
unvoiced corresponding sounds, making 'pp', 'tt' and 'kk' sound
something like 'hpp', 'htt' and 'hkk'.
These two examples are somewhat similar to the Icelandic dialect and
the Faroese dialects of the Scandinavian language.
/Arnie
[You wrote:]
Heill Haukur,
There is one notable overlap - þ/ð. Although both are spelled 'th' in
English, there is a phonemic difference (ie. breath/breathe).
Now, I'm confused, though. How would a pair like tala/dala be
distinguished,
if not by voice? Also, I've never seen voiceless 'm', what words does
it
appear in?
However, that being said, the loss of voice-distinction helps explain
the
development of the Younger Futhark...