Re: Sound changes causing divergence of ordinals from cardinals

On Thu, 5 Jan 2006 01:59:16 +1100, Tristan McLeay
<conlang@...> wrote:

>Peter Bleackley wrote:
>> This idea came up in the discussion of numerals. Below is a set of
>> cardinal numbers, with the ordinals formed regularly from them by a
>> suffix -ke. Let's take turns proposing sound changes (one at a time
>> please) until the ordinals can no longer be regularly formed regularly
>> from the cardinals, and indeed form a separate set of roots. Everything
>> is in CXS.
>
>
>(1) Labial harmony: After rounded elements, subsequent vowels become
>rounded, unless there is a subsequent velar, which prevents it (cf.
>English "what" vs "whack"). Thus:
>
>(I assume the "ao" is two separate vowels. If it's a diphthong, then
>20th should remain "naronaoke", 30th "mikonaoke")
(2) Primary stress is penultimate (unless there's only one vowel).  Vowels
under the primary stress shift: non-high vowels rise (/a e 2 Q o/ > /e i y o
u/), while high vowels break (/i y u/ > /j@ H@ w@/).

  Value Cardinal       Ordinal
  1     j@wQ           iweke
  2     nero           naruke
  3     mj@ko          mikuke
  4     tuko           tokuke
  5     kin            kinke
  6     jesu           jasw@ke
  7     Sj@gu          Sigw@ke
  8     dZuz2          dZozike
  9     hj@ja          hijeke
  10    neo            nauke
  11    hero           haruke
  12    utsu           otsw@ke
  13    naomj@ko       naomikuke
  20    naronoo        naronQuke
  21    naronQH@wQ     naronQyweke
  22    naronQonoro    naronQonQruke
  30    mikonoo        mikonQuke
  31    naronQohoro    naronQohQruke
  32    naronQutsu     naronQotsw@ke
  33    mikonQomj@ko   mikonQomikuke

Alex

Reply