Neogrammarian hypothesis

The Neogrammarian hypothesis suggests that language changes, especially sound changes, occur systematically and without exceptions. When a language evolves, pronunciation shifts happen regularly and follow specific patterns, rather than randomly. This means that if a certain sound change occurs in one word, similar words with that sound are likely to change in the same way. The hypothesis emphasizes that sound changes are logical, consistent processes driven by linguistic rules rather than chance or exceptions, helping linguists understand how languages evolve over time in a predictable manner.