Phonological history of Carnian: Difference between revisions

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Proto-Slavic *ToRT and *TeRT sequences underwent metathesis without compensatory lengthening, producing TRoT and TReT respectively. The subsequent loss of liquid syllabicity triggered insertion of an epenthetic vowel preceding the liquid consonant: TRoT > TəRoT, TReT > TəReT. This development resembles East Slavic pleophony, though without consistent vowel assimilation.

Epenthetic ''ə'' merged later with one of the existing vowel phonemes, most commonly with ''e'', ''o'', or ''a''. Merger with ''e'' and ''o'' reflects assimilation to the following vowel and is most consistent in TəreT, TəleT and TəloT sequences. In TəroT sequences, ə was often colored by the rhotic, resulting in a (cf. *''gordъ'' > ''gərod'' > ''~~garod''; modern ''~~gard'').

Epenthetic ''ə'' merged later with one of the existing vowel phonemes, most commonly with ''e'', ''o'', or ''a''. Merger with ''e'' and ''o'' reflects assimilation to the following vowel and is most consistent in TəreT, TəleT and TəloT sequences. In TəroT sequences, ə was often colored by the rhotic, resulting in a (cf. *''gordъ'' > ''gərod'' > ''[[Contionary:gard#Carnian|gard]]'').

'''TьRT and TъRT Sequences'''

The *TьRT and *TъRT sequences likewise underwent metathesis. After the loss of weak yers, they first produced syllabic liquids (Tr̥T, Tl̥T, Tł̥T), which later resolved into TərT, TəlT, and TəłT. The epenthetic ''ə'' generally merged with ''e'', most regularly in TəlT sequences. In TərT sequences, the rhotic exerted a strong a-coloring influence, though reflexes in ''e'' also appear. The TəłT pattern shows the usual merger with ''e'', but rare cases of merger with ''o'' occur as well (cf. *''sъlnьce'' > ''~~sł̥nce~~'' > ''~~sołnce~~'' > ''~~sonce~~'').

The *TьRT and *TъRT sequences likewise underwent metathesis. After the loss of weak yers, they first produced syllabic liquids (Tr̥T, Tl̥T, Tł̥T), which later resolved into TərT, TəlT, and TəłT. The epenthetic ''ə'' generally merged with ''e'', most regularly in TəlT sequences. In TərT sequences, the rhotic exerted a strong a-coloring influence, though reflexes in ''e'' also appear. The TəłT pattern shows the usual merger with ''e'', but rare cases of merger with ''o'' occur as well (cf. *''sъlnьce'' > ''sł̥nse'' > ''sołnse'' > ''sonse'').

The distinctive character of Carnian liquid reflexes stems from the subsequent operation of posttonic syncope (see the section on [[#Vowel Reduction and Syncope|syncope]]), which eliminated many of the unstressed vowels directly following the accented syllable, yielding forms that superficially resemble the original Proto-Slavic sequences while differing in vowel quality and liquid syllabicity. Traces of the pleophonic stage remain visible in lexical items where posttonic vowels escaped elision, as in *''~~porxъ~~'' > ~~Nom.~~ ''~~paroch~~''~~, Gen.~~ ''~~parcha~~''.

The distinctive character of Carnian liquid reflexes stems from the subsequent operation of posttonic syncope (see the section on [[#Vowel Reduction and Syncope|syncope]]), which eliminated many of the unstressed vowels directly following the accented syllable, yielding forms that superficially resemble the original Proto-Slavic sequences while differing in vowel quality and liquid syllabicity. Traces of the pleophonic stage remain visible in lexical items where posttonic vowels escaped elision, as in *''serdьnъjь'' > ''srednij'' > ''sərednij'' > ''serenny'' 'middle'.

=== Yer Developments ===

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'''Weak Yer Loss'''

Following Havlík's Law, weak yers underwent gradual elision while strong yers vocalized to full mid vowels. Carnian resembles neighboring South Slavic languages in frequent preservation of word-initial yers, similar to Slovene and Chakavian. The degree of initial yer retention varies between words, sometimes yielding doublets regionally (*''pъtica'' > ''petisa'' / ''petza'', ''tisa'').

Following Havlík's Law, weak yers underwent gradual elision while strong yers vocalized to full mid vowels. Carnian resembles neighboring South Slavic languages in frequent preservation of word-initial yers, similar to Slovene and Chakavian. The degree of initial yer retention varies between words, sometimes yielding doublets regionally (*''pъtica'' > ''petisa'' / ''petza'', ''[[Contionary:tisa#Carnian|tisa]]'').

Crucially, Carnian maintained the original front/back distinction among vocalized yers. Front yer *ь vocalized to ''ẹ'', subsequently breaking to ''ie'' (except following palatal consonants, where it remained ''e''). Back yer *ъ developed to ''ə'', with subsequent evolution varying by phonetic environment and geographic region. Common outcomes include merger with ''e'' or ''a'', though occasional merger with ''o'' also occurs.

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'''Tense Yers'''

Tense yer sequences *ьj and *ъj received special treatment with lexically conditioned outcomes. While some items follow regular vocalization patterns (*''kъjь'' > ''kei'' 'what'), others exhibit merger to ''ïj'' [ɪj] (modern ''y''), particularly in adjectival morphology. This development appears to result from j-induced assimilation combined with analogical leveling, with presumed intermediate stages *ьj > ''ẹj'' and *ъj > ''əj'' before phonemic merger.

Tense yer sequences *ьj and *ъj received special treatment with lexically conditioned outcomes. While some items follow regular vocalization patterns (*''kъjь'' > ''[[Contionary:kei#Carnian|kei]]'' 'what'), others exhibit merger to ''ïj'' [ɪj] (modern ''y''), particularly in adjectival morphology. This development appears to result from j-induced assimilation combined with analogical leveling, with presumed intermediate stages *ьj > ''ẹj'' and *ъj > ''əj'' before phonemic merger.

This process preceded the general contraction of *VjV > V̄, which operated concurrently across the Carnian speech territory.

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* Preservation of long falling syllables

* Development of prothetic *v before word-initial *u

* *ď > j in lexically restricted contexts, creating doublets (*meďu > ''mei'', ''medio'')

* *ď > j in lexically restricted contexts, creating doublets (*meďu > ''mei'', ''[[Contionary:medio#Carnian|medio]]'')

* Rhotacization *ž > ''r'' before vowels (*može da > ''morda''), extended beyond medial positions in Carnian, yielding doublets (*možete > ''mogiete'', ''morete''; *žena > ''giena'', ''rena'')

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* '''/f/ development''': Coalescence of [xʋ] clusters (*''xvaliti'' > ''falit'') introduced /f/, absent in Proto-Slavic. Phonemicization became evident when /f/ appeared unaltered in loanwords.

* '''/t͡s/ restoration''': ''ts'' and ''ds'' clusters coalesced to [t͡s:] (''jagodisa'' > ''jagotza''), restoring this affricate eliminated during earlier spirantization. Initially predominantly geminate, word-final occurrence as a singleton developed (*''noťьcejǫ'' > ''notzoi'' [nɔ̂t͡s:ɔɪ̯], *''noťьsь'' > ''notz'' [nɔ̂t͡s]). This development, combined with dž loss, reestablished symmetry between alveolar and postalveolar sibilant series.

* '''/t͡s/ restoration''': ''ts'' and ''ds'' clusters coalesced to [t͡s:] (''jagodisa'' > ''jagotza''), restoring this affricate eliminated during earlier spirantization. Initially predominantly geminate, word-final occurrence as a singleton developed (*''noťьcejǫ'' > ''[[Contionary:notzoi#Carnian|notzoi]]'' [nɔ̂t͡s:ɔɪ̯], *''noťьsь'' > ''[[Contionary:notz#Carnian|notz]]'' [nɔ̂t͡s]). This development, combined with dž loss, reestablished symmetry between alveolar and postalveolar sibilant series.

=== Depalatalization ===

@@ Line 26: / Line 26: @@
 Proto-Slavic *ToRT and *TeRT sequences underwent metathesis without compensatory lengthening, producing TRoT and TReT respectively. The subsequent loss of liquid syllabicity triggered insertion of an epenthetic vowel preceding the liquid consonant: TRoT > TəRoT, TReT > TəReT. This development resembles East Slavic pleophony, though without consistent vowel assimilation.
-Epenthetic ''ə'' merged later with one of the existing vowel phonemes, most commonly with ''e'', ''o'', or ''a''. Merger with ''e'' and ''o'' reflects assimilation to the following vowel and is most consistent in TəreT, TəleT and TəloT sequences. In TəroT sequences, ə was often colored by the rhotic, resulting in a (cf. *''gordъ'' > ''gərod'' > ''garod''; modern ''gard'').
+Epenthetic ''ə'' merged later with one of the existing vowel phonemes, most commonly with ''e'', ''o'', or ''a''. Merger with ''e'' and ''o'' reflects assimilation to the following vowel and is most consistent in TəreT, TəleT and TəloT sequences. In TəroT sequences, ə was often colored by the rhotic, resulting in a (cf. *''gordъ'' > ''gərod'' > ''[[Contionary:gard#Carnian|gard]]'').
 '''TьRT and TъRT Sequences'''
-The *TьRT and *TъRT sequences likewise underwent metathesis. After the loss of weak yers, they first produced syllabic liquids (Tr̥T, Tl̥T, Tł̥T), which later resolved into TərT, TəlT, and TəłT. The epenthetic ''ə'' generally merged with ''e'', most regularly in TəlT sequences. In TərT sequences, the rhotic exerted a strong a-coloring influence, though reflexes in ''e'' also appear. The TəłT pattern shows the usual merger with ''e'', but rare cases of merger with ''o'' occur as well (cf. *''sъlnьce'' > ''sł̥nce'' > ''sołnce'' > ''sonce'').
+The *TьRT and *TъRT sequences likewise underwent metathesis. After the loss of weak yers, they first produced syllabic liquids (Tr̥T, Tl̥T, Tł̥T), which later resolved into TərT, TəlT, and TəłT. The epenthetic ''ə'' generally merged with ''e'', most regularly in TəlT sequences. In TərT sequences, the rhotic exerted a strong a-coloring influence, though reflexes in ''e'' also appear. The TəłT pattern shows the usual merger with ''e'', but rare cases of merger with ''o'' occur as well (cf. *''sъlnьce'' > ''sł̥nse'' > ''sołnse'' > ''sonse'').
-The distinctive character of Carnian liquid reflexes stems from the subsequent operation of posttonic syncope (see the section on [[#Vowel Reduction and Syncope|syncope]]), which eliminated many of the unstressed vowels directly following the accented syllable, yielding forms that superficially resemble the original Proto-Slavic sequences while differing in vowel quality and liquid syllabicity. Traces of the pleophonic stage remain visible in lexical items where posttonic vowels escaped elision, as in *''porxъ'' > Nom. ''paroch'', Gen. ''parcha''.
+The distinctive character of Carnian liquid reflexes stems from the subsequent operation of posttonic syncope (see the section on [[#Vowel Reduction and Syncope|syncope]]), which eliminated many of the unstressed vowels directly following the accented syllable, yielding forms that superficially resemble the original Proto-Slavic sequences while differing in vowel quality and liquid syllabicity. Traces of the pleophonic stage remain visible in lexical items where posttonic vowels escaped elision, as in *''serdьnъjь'' > ''srednij'' > ''sərednij'' > ''serenny'' 'middle'.
 === Yer Developments ===
@@ Line 38: / Line 38: @@
 '''Weak Yer Loss'''
-Following Havlík's Law, weak yers underwent gradual elision while strong yers vocalized to full mid vowels. Carnian resembles neighboring South Slavic languages in frequent preservation of word-initial yers, similar to Slovene and Chakavian. The degree of initial yer retention varies between words, sometimes yielding doublets regionally (*''pъtica'' > ''petisa'' / ''petza'', ''tisa'').
+Following Havlík's Law, weak yers underwent gradual elision while strong yers vocalized to full mid vowels. Carnian resembles neighboring South Slavic languages in frequent preservation of word-initial yers, similar to Slovene and Chakavian. The degree of initial yer retention varies between words, sometimes yielding doublets regionally (*''pъtica'' > ''petisa'' / ''petza'', ''[[Contionary:tisa#Carnian|tisa]]'').
 Crucially, Carnian maintained the original front/back distinction among vocalized yers. Front yer *ь vocalized to ''ẹ'', subsequently breaking to ''ie'' (except following palatal consonants, where it remained ''e''). Back yer *ъ developed to ''ə'', with subsequent evolution varying by phonetic environment and geographic region. Common outcomes include merger with ''e'' or ''a'', though occasional merger with ''o'' also occurs.
@@ Line 44: / Line 44: @@
 '''Tense Yers'''
-Tense yer sequences *ьj and *ъj received special treatment with lexically conditioned outcomes. While some items follow regular vocalization patterns (*''kъjь'' > ''kei'' 'what'), others exhibit merger to ''ïj'' [ɪj] (modern ''y''), particularly in adjectival morphology. This development appears to result from j-induced assimilation combined with analogical leveling, with presumed intermediate stages *ьj > ''ẹj'' and *ъj > ''əj'' before phonemic merger.
+Tense yer sequences *ьj and *ъj received special treatment with lexically conditioned outcomes. While some items follow regular vocalization patterns (*''kъjь'' > ''[[Contionary:kei#Carnian|kei]]'' 'what'), others exhibit merger to ''ïj'' [ɪj] (modern ''y''), particularly in adjectival morphology. This development appears to result from j-induced assimilation combined with analogical leveling, with presumed intermediate stages *ьj > ''ẹj'' and *ъj > ''əj'' before phonemic merger.
 This process preceded the general contraction of *VjV > V̄, which operated concurrently across the Carnian speech territory.
@@ Line 78: / Line 78: @@
 * Preservation of long falling syllables
 * Development of prothetic *v before word-initial *u
-* *ď > j in lexically restricted contexts, creating doublets (*meďu > ''mei'', ''medio'')
+* *ď > j in lexically restricted contexts, creating doublets (*meďu > ''mei'', ''[[Contionary:medio#Carnian|medio]]'')
 * Rhotacization *ž > ''r'' before vowels (*može da > ''morda''), extended beyond medial positions in Carnian, yielding doublets (*možete > ''mogiete'', ''morete''; *žena > ''giena'', ''rena'')
@@ Line 127: / Line 127: @@
 * '''/f/ development''': Coalescence of [xʋ] clusters (*''xvaliti'' > ''falit'') introduced /f/, absent in Proto-Slavic. Phonemicization became evident when /f/ appeared unaltered in loanwords.
-* '''/t͡s/ restoration''': ''ts'' and ''ds'' clusters coalesced to [t͡s:] (''jagodisa'' > ''jagotza''), restoring this affricate eliminated during earlier spirantization. Initially predominantly geminate, word-final occurrence as a singleton developed (*''noťьcejǫ'' > ''notzoi'' [nɔ̂t͡s:ɔɪ̯], *''noťьsь'' > ''notz'' [nɔ̂t͡s]). This development, combined with dž loss, reestablished symmetry between alveolar and postalveolar sibilant series.
+* '''/t͡s/ restoration''': ''ts'' and ''ds'' clusters coalesced to [t͡s:] (''jagodisa'' > ''jagotza''), restoring this affricate eliminated during earlier spirantization. Initially predominantly geminate, word-final occurrence as a singleton developed (*''noťьcejǫ'' > ''[[Contionary:notzoi#Carnian|notzoi]]'' [nɔ̂t͡s:ɔɪ̯], *''noťьsь'' > ''[[Contionary:notz#Carnian|notz]]'' [nɔ̂t͡s]). This development, combined with dž loss, reestablished symmetry between alveolar and postalveolar sibilant series.
 === Depalatalization ===