Phonetic transformations (Part 7)
Welcome back!
Today, we are looking at a potentially confusing topic, since different sources look at it from different perspectives. I will do my best to make it as clear as possible.
The next phonetic transformation on our path is the moveable A (IT: A mobile). In Serbian, this is called непостојано А, that is the non-existing A, or the unstable A (both translations are possible).
The confusion is caused by the fact that some texts prefer to specify where the A appears first, while others prefer giving priority to where the A disappears.
The moveable A
This transformation consists in the disappearance of the vowel A during the declination of certain nouns, adjectives, pronouns, numbers, and prepositions. Its historical origin dates back to the Paleoslavic language, where the vowel sounding “jer” (written ъ or ь) disappeared and got substituted by the “A”.
We have already encountered this transformation in previous lessons, since it’s the cause of other transformations, especially sonority and place of articulation assimilations and consonant dissimilation.
Male nouns
Nominative singular and genitive plural
The nominative singular and genitive plural cases of male nouns are the only cases in which the A appears. For example, the word притисак (IT: pressione; EN: pressure) would become притисака in the genitive singular, but the A falls, leaving притиска. The nominative plural, instead, is indeed притисака.
Similarly, the word пас (IT: cane; EN: dog) becomes паса only in the nominative plural, while in the genitive singular the first A falls, leaving пса.
Other examples: ловац (IT: cacciatore; EN: hunter) becomes ловаца in the nominative plural, but loses the A in the genitive singular, ловца.
We’ve already encountered the word oтац (IT: padre; EN: father) many times, but let’s recap: while the nominative plural is unaffected (отаца), the genitive singular needs the help of the dissimilation of consonants after the falling of the A (отца > оца).
Foreign nouns
Nouns of foreign origin that, in the nominative singular, end in -кт, -нт, -рт, -бл, -кл, see the resurfacing of the A in the genitive plural case. The word концерт (IT: concerto; EN: concert) becomes концерата, while студент (IT: studente; EN: student) becomes студената.
Finally, спектакл (IT: spettacolo; EN: show), becomes спектакала.
Short nouns
This is a bit convoluted but, plainly, many mono- and bisyllabic nouns add an infix (-ов or -ев) before the ending -и of the nominative plural. These names show the A in the nominative singular form, and lose it in the rest of the declination.
For example, the word ветар (IT: vento; EN: wind) loses the A in both the genitive singular and the nominative plural, where the infix intervenes: ветра and ветрови.
The word сан (IT: sogno; EN: dream) becomes сна and снови.
To this group also belong feminine and masculine nouns ending in -ао, where the o derives from the л (see the next lesson for this). The word eagle (IT: aquila) is орао in Serbian. In the genitive singular case, it becomes орла, while in the nominative plural орлови. Finally, посао (IT: lavoro; EN: work) becomes посла and послови.
Neuter nouns
Nouns whose last consonant group is one among -тр, -дл, -бл, -см, -пљ, the moveable A comes back in the genitive plural case. The word јутро (IT: mattina; EN: morning) becomes јутара1, while писмо (IT: lettera; EN: letter) becomes писама.
An exception to this rule are those nouns whose first consonant is dental (з or с) or with the groups (шт, шћ, жђ). Место (IT: posto/luogo; EN: place), remains места (and not месата) in the genitive plural. Позориште (IT: teatro; EN: theatre (for plays/opera, not movies)) remains позоришта (and not позоришата).
Other examples are: ушће (IT: confluenza/foce; EN: confluence/delta of a river, for example the one between the Danube and the Sava in Belgrade) remains ушћа (and not ушаћа). Finally, грожђе (IT: uva; EN: grapes) stays грожђа (and not грожађа).
Feminine nouns
Several feminine nouns containing specific consonant groups (тк, чк, тр, јк, мљ, бљ, гр, гл, см, сн, …) see the reappearance of the A in the genitive plural. Examples abound, and I will list as many as possible to also enrich our vocabulary.
Битка (IT: battaglia; EN: battle), becomes битака in the genitive plural. Similarly, мачка (IT: gatto; EN: cat) becomes мачака; сестра (IT: sorella; EN: sister) becomes сестара; девојка (IT: ragazza; EN: girl) becomes девојака.
A few more: земља (IT: terra; EN: land) земаља; игра (IT: gioco; EN: game) > игара; песма (IT: canzone; EN: song) > песама; and усна (IT: labbro; EN: lip) > усана.
Exception are nouns with the following consonant groups: зд, ст, шт, шћ. They keep the same form for the nominative singular and the genitive plural. Examples: звезда (IT: stella; EN: star) or башта (IT: giardino; EN: garden).
Qualifying adjectives
Some but not all qualifying adjectives show the moveable A only in their masculine form of the nominative singular, losing it in the feminine and neuter forms. For example, the word “good” (IT: bravo) is, according to gender, добар / добра / добро, instead of добар / добара / добаро. It may appear as a subtle distinction, but there is a clear musical reasoning behind this grammatical rule.
Природан (IT: naturale; EN: natural) loses the A in the feminine and neuter, becoming природна / природно.
Other examples include:
- ружан / ружна / ружно (IT: brutto; EN: ugly)
- гладан / гладна / гладно (IT: affamato; EN: hungry)
- љубак / љупка / љупко (IT: carino; EN: cute). Here we witness another transformation after the fall of the A, since the б and the к come in contact, causing the assimilation based on sonority. The voiced б cannot stay next to the unvoiced к and therefore has to evolve into its unvoiced counterpart п.
- какав / каква / какво (IT: che tipo di; EN: what kind of). This and the next particle cannot be so simplistically translated out of context, and we will come back to them in due course.
- такав / таква / такво (IT: così; EN: that/such/like)
A few adjectives make an exception and keep the A also in their feminine/neuter forms, for example млад / млада / младо (IT: giovane; EN: young).
Few more examples
In certain cardinal numbers the A stays only in the nominative singular: један (1) > једног, седам (7) > седми, осам (8) > осми.
Some verbs also show this: the verb to be has—like in many languages—several forms. Here we see “I am” (IT: io sono) expressed as јесам, while “we are” (IT: noi siamo) loses the A, becoming јесмо.
Bottom line
That’s it for today, and I hope you enjoyed it. In the next lesson, we will tackle the transformation of the Л in О, which we briefly glimpsed at today. Stay tuned!
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See you soon for another lesson!
- The genitive plural of this word is used to indicate an agricultural measurement similar to the “giornata” in North-West Italy (3810 sqmt). ↩
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