Re: Synthesis of many topics

On Tue, 25 Apr 2000, Jesse S. Bangs wrote:

> Totally new topic:  Strange Sound-Changes
>
> Are there any natlangs that have a change from nasals to approximants in
> their history?  I want to know because I have this change in my conlang,
> Yivríndil, where Proto-Yivran *m, *n, *ñ become Proto-Yivríndil *w, *r,
> *j.  (Here {ñ}=[N], and [r] is an alveolar approximant as in American
> English).  The only problem is that I've read other troubling typological
> generalizations that "nasals don't become anything other than
> nasalization of the preceding vowel," or some such absolute.
Chemehuevi, a Numic language of the Lower Colorado River Valley,
underwent the change from Proto-Numic *m to w intervocalically:

        Proto-Numic  Chemehuevi  gloss

        *tama        tawa        'tooth'
        *nymy        nywy        'person'

I have found one instance of *n > j; *pena 'honey, sweet; bee',
which in Chemehuevi became pija(gama) 'sweet'.

> Yivríndil also has another unusual phonological phenomenon:
> consonant-deletion.  By this rule, when a syllable begins and ends with
> the same consonant, one of the consonants must be deleted or lenited to
> 'y'.  For example, *kended > kened 'kingdom', *anan > ayan 'lover'.  Any
> natlang analogues, or am I breaking new ground?
I've seen dissimilation (usually involving /r/s and /l/s) but
not outright deletion. Is this confined to a particular type of
consonant, or is it generally applicable?

Dirk

--
Dirk Elzinga
dirk.elzinga@m.cc.utah.edu