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Con-Palatalization

From:jesse stephen bangs <jaspax@...>
Date:Monday, October 30, 2000, 21:52
A little while ago I posted a discussion on Tzingrzhîl sound changes and
didn't get any response, probably because I broke my own cardinal rule
about asking specific questions and not writing long posts.  So this time
around I'm only going to ask about one particular aspect:

In Tzingrizhîl, the palatalization of dentals/alveolars before front
vowels is a major feature.  I originally was only going to have the stops
and fricatives be affected, changing /t d s z/ into /ts dz S Z/.  However,
now I want to have the additional alveolar sounds /l r n/ be affected as
well.  What should they turn into?  My options are:

/l/--originally a voiced alveolar lateral
   - becomes a voiced alveolar lateral fricative, ([lZ] ligature)?
   - becomes a voiced palatal lateral (turned [y])?
   - something else?

/r/--originally a voiced alveolar approximant; *not* a trill to begin with
   - becomes a voiced retroflex fricative?
   - becomes a voiced palatal fricative?
   - becomes a voiced alveolar fricative (merges with /z/)?
   - something else?

/n/--originally a voiced dental nasal stop
   - becomes [mnj], rather like Czech?
   - something else?  I'm rather stuck on this one

Anyone with some knowledge of Slavic linguistics who can tell me how these
developments were handled in those langs would be appreciated, and other
con-solutions welcomed.

Jesse S. Bangs jaspax@u.washington.edu
"It is of the new things that men tire--of fashions and proposals and
improvements and change.  It is the old things that startle and
intoxicate.  It is the old things that are young."
-G.K. Chesterton _The Napoleon of Notting Hill_