Re: /y/?

On 14.1.2008 R A Brown wrote:
 > IMHO /y/ could reasonably diphthongize to /iw/, /uj/, /wi/
 > or /ju/.
 >

And all are attested in natlangs. Apparently even /u:/ can
become /iw/!

 > The change of /y/ --> /ju/ must have occurred at an
 > earlier stage in the Tzakonian dialect of modern Greek
 > where we find /skylos/ --> */skjulos/ --> /StSulos/,
 > /kymume/ --> */kjumume/ --> /tSumune/.

Wow! I recall now that I read that some Greek dialects (
ones descended from the Koiné) have /y/ > /u/ rather than
the 'standard' /y/ > /i/. Thus they must have merger of the
genitive singular and nominative plural of the second
declension, just like Latin, but along a different path and
with a different result!


/BP 8^)>
--
Benct Philip Jonsson -- melroch atte melroch dotte se
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
   "C'est en vain que nos Josués littéraires crient
   à la langue de s'arrêter; les langues ni le soleil
   ne s'arrêtent plus. Le jour où elles se *fixent*,
   c'est qu'elles meurent."           (Victor Hugo)