Proto-Rathmosian/Later Developments

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Common Changes

  • unstressed eC > iC and eyC > iyC
  • word-final, short a, e lost in words of 3 or more syllables: negara > negar
  • loss of word-final nasals -n, -m with nasalisation or preceding vowel, creating new ą, ę, į, ų, ɚ and ąą, ęę, įį, ųų
  • loss of word-final -t
  • raising of e > i, ew > iw and ey > iy before i or y in the next syllable
  • loss of y between vowels and contraction of remaining vowels
  • loss of word-final short, non-nasal vowels in words of 3 or more syllables: negani > negan
  • raising of a(a) > ä(ä), u(u) > ü(ü) before i, y in the following syllable
  • lowering of u(u) > new vowel o(o) before a(a), ä(ä), ą(ą) in the next syllable: kukad "he eats" > kokad.
  • unstressed diphthongs become long vowels: aw > oo, ay > ee, ew > oo, ey > ee
  • final-syllable long vowels shortened
Pr-Rs Stressed Unstressed Word-Final i-mutated -n/-m
a a a / - ä ą
e e i e / - i į
i i i / - į
u u u / - ü ų
o (bef. a)
ə ə ę
aa aa a ää ą
ee ee e ii ę
ii ii i į
uu uu u üü ų
oo o
aw aw oo o äw
ew ew öö e iw
iw iw üü i iw
uw uw uu u üw
ay ay ää e äy
ey ey ee e iy
iy iy ii i
uy uy üü i uy

The changes described above resulted in the following vowel inventory for the late common period:

Front Central Back
-Round +Round -Round +Round
Close i /i/
ii /iː/
į /ĩ/
ü /y/
üü /yː/
u /u/
uu /uː/
ų /ũ/
Mid e /e/
ee /eː/
ę /ẽ/
ö /ø/
öö /øː/
ə /ə/ o /o/
oo /oː/
ǫ /õ/
Open ä /æ/
ää /æː/
a /a/
aa /aː/
ą /ã/

Rathmos Changes

  • ə(ə) > e(e), ɚ > a
  • nasals followed by fricatives are lost, leading to compensatory lengthening and nasalisation of preceding vowel: negans > negąąs
  • Cy > CC, except ry
  • g > /ɣ/ in most positions, except ng, gg
  • p, t, k > f, þ, h and b, d > v, ð before n, m, l, r
  • a(a) and ay raised to ä(ä), äy except before -n, -m or before a back vowel (a(a), o(o), u(u)) in the next syllable
    • unstressed äC > eC
  • word-final -a lost
  • nasal vowels merge with non-nasal counterparts
  • stressed ä, e, i > äw, ew, iw before -w, -lC, rC
  • changes to diphthongs: ay > ae, aw > ao, äy > äe, äw > äo, ey > ee, ew > eo, uy
  • k, g, sk palatalised to ch /t͡ʃ/, ȝ /ʝ/, sh /ʃ/ (a) before a front vowel (ä, e, i, ü) or y, or (b) after e, i except when followed by a back vowel: negara > neger > neȝer but neganta > negan
  • i-mutation: a(a) > ä(ä), e(e) > i(i), o(o) > ö(ö), u(u) > ü(ü) before i, y in next syllable
  • word-final -i, -u lost, except after light monosyllable
  • unstressed vowel reduction:
    • medial syllable: a, ä, e lost, i, u lost after heavy syllable, > e after light syllable, oo > o, other long vowels > short
    • final syllable: ä, i > e, uC > oC, oo > u, other long vowels > short

Carrick Changes

  • ə(ə), ɚ > a
  • nasal vowels merge with non-nasal counterparts
  • i-mutation: a(a) > ä(ä), o(o) > ö(ö), u(u) > ü(ü) before i, y in next syllable
  • stressed e(e) > ja(a), except after l, w
  • u-mutation: a(a) > o(o), ja(a) > jo(o), ä(ä) > œ(œ), e(e) > ö(ö), i(i) > ü(ü)
  • y lost before front vowels and w before back vowels, except a
  • devoicing of word-final consonants
  • mp, nk, nt > pp, kk, tt

Summary of Vowel Changes

Change kupakuren
"smell" (loc.pl.)
feyhilep
"fighter" (dat.sg.)
gawuya
"feast" (gen.sg.)
reykitset
"he loves you"
pupurad
"it glistened"
unstressed e > i kupakurin feyhilip gawuya reykitsit
wf. -a, -e lost gawuy
wf. -n, -m lost kupakurį
wf. -t lost reykitsi
i-mutation of e fiyhilip riykitsi
intervocalic y lost
wf. oral short vowels lost riykits
i-mutation of a, u kupakürį
a-mutation of u kopakürį
unstressed diphthongs > long vowels gawüü
final-syllable long vowels > short vowels gawi > gäwi