Re: Japanese Long Consonants

Chris Bates wrote:
> > * long vowel
> > * short vowel
> > * short vowel + glottal stop
>
> This was the system I was proposing... a 3-way distinction like that. :)
> But I have now incorporated long vowel + glottal stop (marked by a
> circumflex) also... although I have to concentrate when I speak to not
> cut the long vowel short. *hums* Anyway... all the glottal stops vanish
> in both the daughter languages, giving rise to long consonants in one,
> and various other phonological changes in the other.
What actually is the syllable structure of your language? (sorry if I've
missed a previous discussion).  Let's say:

.VCV..  and ...V:Cv..
.VCCV... (? and ..V:CCV.. -- that might sort-of violate a sort-of
universal, but IIRC Latin, Greek and Sanskrit allowed long V before 2
consonants, but universals are there to be violated :-) )

Now, if one of the C's is /?/, there's no intrinsic reason you couldn't have
V?V and V:?V
V?CV and V:?CV

Possible sound changes:

1. Loss of /?/ after short V--
V?V > new single V combining features of both, e.g. a?i > e, u?i > y; (in my
Gwr, any sequence of i/u > 1) Like V would presumably > long, e.g. a?a > a:
 Many possibilities, including diphthongs.

V?CV > compensatory length of V1: V:CV OR of the C: VC:V

2. Loss of /?/ after long V:--
V:?V > distinct V in separate syllables, a:?i > a(:).i etc. (If your
language doesn't allow vowels in hiatus, then introduce a glide of some
sort.)
V:?CV > V:CV  or perhaps V:C:V ???

Another question/possibility:  are the long V different in quality, or
simply lengthened versions of the short V?  Perhaps /a/ = [6], /a:/ = A, /e/
= [E], /e:/ = [e]???

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