Re: Becoming triconsonantal, was: 'Arabiiya

A couple of minor additions...

On Thu, 22 Nov 2001 16:17:30 -0500, I wrote:
[...]
>>1. Word-initial consonant clusters are simplified yielding new phonemes.
>
>This starts a set of changes that lead to a stage that I called for
>myself 'CVC-Romance'. Cl-clusters become lateral obstruents,  Cr-clusters
>(partly) yield several retroflex phonemes. Besides, some word-initial
>consonants are palatalized before front vowels (see also below).
I forgot to mention initial sC > new spirants ([f], [T], [x]). Old [f] may
become [h].

[...]
>eVC > @jVC
[...]
>It is important that medial consonant phonemes present at this stage do
>not include any palatalized, velarized  or labialized sounds (or [w], [j]),
>which could interfere with the synharmonistic assimilation of vowel
>qualities.
- that is, [j] > [Z]; later, [Z] > [j] again, in the positions of
'weakening'. (i)_r will probably undergo the same changes.


Basilius