Re: Word-initial sound changes

> -----Original Message-----
> From: Constructed Languages List [mailto:CONLANG@LISTSERV.BROWN.EDU]On
> Behalf Of Matt Pearson
> Sent: Thursday, January 27, 2000 4:44 PM
> To: CONLANG@LISTSERV.BROWN.EDU
> Subject: Re: Word-initial sound changes
> I don't know what triggered this change in Jajgir, but I
> suspect that most of the Austronesian cases were
> extensions of intervocalic lenition:  */b/ became /v/
> intervocalically in Malagasy, and this was extended to
> cases where the /b/ was word-initial and the preceding
> word ended in a vowel.  (It's my understanding that that's
> sort of how mutation in Celtic got started...)
>
> Matt.
Ok, so I guess I can safely have all my unvoiced consonants become voiced,
including initials.

Speaking of phonetic plausabilities, is there anything inherent in palatal
stops that makes them so subject to fricativization and affrication? I can
understand perfectly velars becoming palatal, but why do palatal stops
become affricates like /tS/ instead of staying palatal, in languages such as
Proto-Romance and Hindi?

Eric Christopherson
raccoon@elknet.net