Tech Umlaut

Had to add something else to my earlier proposal on Tech phonology.

One of the most notable shifts between Proto-Nostratic and Tech is what I called
before "compression", where CVCV > CVVC > CVC.  The second vowel coalesces with
the first, creating a new vowel quality.  The second vowel of a root must be a,
i or u, so that makes three types of "umlaut".

Something very similar to this occurs in Germanic languages.  In Old Norse, for
example, there are three types of Umlaut: a-Umlaut, i-Umlaut and u-Umlaut.  This
results from the loss of the second vowel in a word (if unstressed) but an
alteration of the first.

a-Umlaut
CiCa > CeC (Note: C can be a sequence or a single consonant.)
CeCa > CjaC
CuCa > CoC

i-Umlaut
CaCi > CeC or CæC (æ should be an "ash", or ae-ligature)
CoCi > CøC (and that should be an o-slash)
CuCi > CyC (remember, y is a front vowel, same as French u)
CauCi > CeyC or CøyC (again, the o-slash)

u-Umlaut
CaCu > CåC (a-ring this time; o-hook used in Old Norse)
CeCu > CjoC or CjåC (again, a-ring) *doesn't this also happen in Russian?

The rules for Tech aren't that different; more vowels are affected though.  Only
the stressed vowel remains in a two-syllable group; the unstressed one is
usually lost.  If the second syllable is stressed, the second syllable undergoes
Umlaut; I haven't quite figured out the rules for this yet.

Now I'm reading about Verner's Law (yes I'm studying Old Norse right now)...

~DaW~


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