Re: Biwa (was: YAC: ...)

Jessi Stefen Bangs wabbe:

> > but those vowels had different evolution:
> >   i -> 1     i: -> i:  -> i
> >   y -> y     y: -> 2:H -> 9Y
> >   e -> E     e: -> e:  -> e
> >   2 -> 9     2: -> @\: -> @
> >   a -> V     a: -> A:  -> A
> >   o -> O     o: -> o:w -> ow
> >   u -> U     u: -> }:  -> }
>
>Is there any pattern to this at all?  Generally, vowels tend
>to move en masse, either all raising, all lowering, all long
>vowels diphthongize, etc., or only one at a time.  Taking
>examples from English, the Great Vowel Shift raised and
>dipthongized all long stressed vowels, but afterwards an
>isolated phonetic change (in my dialect) changed [au] to [&u].
>
>So, did the vowels here ever have a distinct shift?  Or are
>all the changes random?
Well, probably a combination of mass changing and isolated changes.
Previous pattern could suggest that all short vowels became a little
laxer, while long vowels would remind tense.   Then some long vowels
would have diphthongised.

The pattern could have been:
  i -> I -> 1     i: -> i:         -> i
  2 -> Y -> y     2: -> 2: -> 2:H  -> 9Y
  e -> E          e: -> e:         -> e
  3 -> 9          3: -> 3:         -> @
  a -> @ -> V     a: -> a: -> A:   -> A
  o -> O          o: -> o: -> o:w  -> ow
  } -> U          }: -> }:         -> }

Well.  I know the product: Modern Biwa.  I'm just trying to figure
out Old Biwa, and these are just theories.

Another theory could suggest:
  i -> I / ij   I -> 1, ij -> i
  y -> Y / 2H           2H -> 9Y
  e -> E / ej           ej -> e
  2 -> 9 / ew           ew -> @
  a -> a / A@,  a -> V, A@ -> A
  o -> O / ow
  u -> U / }w           }w -> }

where the first change where a split between close and open syllables, then
most diphthongs were lost and would never have been a long stage.

-- Carlos Th
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