Re: elision

Scotto Hlad wrote:
> Recently, in response to another thread, I posted a Regimonti idiom:
>
> Les buves se en rapoti = the cows have hurried (themselves)
>
> I have omitted the grave accents in "se" and in "en". If you enunciate each
> word the phrase is pronounced as follows:
>
> 1. /les/ /'bu.ves/ /sE/  /En/ /r`a.'pO.ti/
>
> (hoping to the nearest conlang deity that I got all the xsampa right)
>
> Sadly trying to spit that out at normal speed, one would end up with an
> unattractive glottal stop between the two /E/s
>
> 2.  /les/ /'bu.ves/ /sE?En/ /r`a.'pO.ti/
>
> (which sorta sounds like the speaker is clearing his/her throat)
Or like a Britisher saying 'setten'   :)

>
> If one says that at normal speed, the "se" and "en" would no doubt run
> together so that it would be said,
Agree absolutely,

> 3. /les/ /'bu.ves/ /sEn/ /r`a.'pO.ti/
>
> The problem for me arises in that following an /n/ with an /r'/ requires a
> bit of oral gymnastics and it would seem to me that either the
> /n/ or the /r`/ would disappear in the process:
It does.
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Mark J. Reed wrote:
 > I would guess that the E would be nasalized and the [n] would drop.

That is indeed one possibility, adopted in many natlangs.

In Latin in similar situations the /n/ becomes assimilated so that
/n/+/r/ --> /rr/. That is possible, of course, only if a language allows
geminate consonants.

The other 'solution' often adopted in natlangs is to insert an intrusive
/d/ between the two consonants. We find that often in ancient Greek,
e.g. _aneer_ (man, adult male) has accusative _andra_ <-- *anra.

--
Ray
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