Re: Word-initial sound changes

> From: dirk elzinga
>
> On Thu, 27 Jan 2000, John Cowan wrote:
>
> > raccoon@ELKNET.NET wrote:
> >
> > > I know that in languages I'm familiar with that use some form
> of lenition
> > > (voicing or fricativization, or both), lenition doesn't occur
> > > word-initially. My question is, how unreasonable would it be
> for lenition to
> > > occur word (and phrase)-initially too?
> >
> > Totally reasonable, and what the Celtic languages (and their conlang
> > relatives) do.
>
> Reasonable, yes, but not as lenition. Lenition has a phonetic/
> phonological trigger; what Celtic has is mutation, which is
> triggered by the morphology and has very little to do with
> phonetics/phonology at this point in their histories. Not
> knowing how consonant alternations play out in Eric's language,
> I can't say if it is lenition or not.
>
> Perhaps it is just splitting hairs, but I have always preferred
> to use the term 'lenition' to refer to consonant alternations
> which are  triggered by phonetics/phonology, and reserve the
> term 'mutation' for consonant alternations which mark
> morphological categories. It's a useful distinction to make.
Shades of Fermat!

David

David E. Bell
The Gray Wizard
dbell@graywizard.net
www.graywizard.net

en aran urren vorneth;
edhain ernordharel an engdarian orui minthille
en balan alanion ennonnar ascalennen ordhmarrion,
en cam alanion orimronniar na taurriar.
carilen alanion les geth, sarcil alanion galen deth
itair geceleb and meth na brand veth,
eni galen elennion tengelar ordirdhirar alanion,
an ithil entagon minthille o an anor encelmon.