ABSTRACT
The number of possible phonemes is almost infinite. Those who are acquainted with foreign languages are well aware that each language has a phonetic system peculiar to itself. If the foreign language they are speaking is a familiar one, there is an unconscious adjustment of the vocal organs by which all the phonemes conform to the new tongue. The existence of a phonetic system is the result of a law of equilibrium. The classic example of regularity in phonetic changes is the Germanic "sound-shifting", called in German, Lautverschiebung. Phonetic laws are the basis of all etymological research. Analogy is perpetually correcting or impeding the action of phonetic laws. Hence certain languages have developed strange and rapid transformations, for the people who adopt a new language often keep the pronunciation peculiar to the language they have dropped. This is why Gaulish influence is found in the phonetics of the Vulgar Latin of Gaul.
