Re: Syllable-Initial /N/

Quoting "Douglas Koller, Latin & French" <latinfrench@...>:

> Nik writes:
>
> >Christophe Grandsire wrote:
> >>  Well, it all depends on whether you want to go for exoticness
> >>(from a European
> >>  point of view) or not. If so, take [N] (your NG) and allow it at
> >>the beginning
> >>  of syllables :)) . If not, [w] will do :)) .
> >
> >Ivetsian, a descendant of Uatakassi, has lots of syllable-initial
> /N/,
> >because of a sound change that caused /g/ to become /N/ in most
> >environments.  I haven't figured out exactly which environments, or
> what
> >happened to the other instances of /g/ if there are restrictions.  I
> do
> >know that /g/ does not exist in Ivetsian (altho [g] may well exist as
> an
> >allophone of /k/).
> >
> >/N/ in non-English positions can be fun.  :-)  It's a great way to
> make
> >an alien-sounding word without hard sounds.  :-)  Like, take gazh
> >(/NaZ/), the word for "world" in Ivetsian.
>
> /N/ is quite common initially in Géarthnuns, the most common examples
> of which are "ngareth" /"NarET/, "nine", and "ngamaz" /"Namaz/, "to
> say" (/NaZ/ would make a *great* word in Géarthnuns). Syllabic nasals
> also occur. And, gee, as I'm told, this lang has a Euro tinge to it.
Hm, /NaZ/ could be the Steienzh cognate of Tairezazh _nazh_ "lively". I don't
think I've nailed down the etymology of this word yet, but by form it could
easily be from Classical Klaish /NaZa/, which'd yield /NaZ/ in Steienzh.

                                                                 Andreas