strong yer

9.9

An old short vowel that later becomes a full vowel in modern Slavic languages

noun

Specialized

: yer fuerte

In Old Church Slavonic, a strong yer was retained and developed into a full vowel in many daughter languages.

Examples

The difference between a weak yer and a strong yer is central to understanding Slavic vowel changes.
Linguists analyze patterns of strong yers to reconstruct historical sound shifts in Slavic languages.
The term strong yer refers to a specific vowel sound.
In some Slavic languages, strong yers have unique pronunciations.
In Old Church Slavonic, a strong yer was retained and developed into a full vowel in many daughter languages.
Linguists analyze patterns of strong yers to reconstruct historical sound shifts in Slavic languages.
The difference between a weak yer and a strong yer is central to understanding Slavic vowel changes.

Surface Forms

strong yer singular

strong yers plural

Morphology

strong + yer

This is a highly technical, domain-specific term in historical Slavic linguistics; knowing the common adjective 'strong' and the rare technical noun 'yer' does not allow a B1 learner to infer the specific phonological development described. The meaning requires specialist knowledge of yers and their historical reflexes, so the compound is not predictably compositional for general learners.

Etymology

Strong yer comes from old Slavic writing where a tiny vowel sign called the yer sometimes stayed strong and 'became a full vowel'. That's why a strong yer means a yer that did not shrink but grew into a new vowel in later Slavic languages.