Re: sound change question

Quoting Sylvia Sotomayor <kelen@...>:

> So, Kélen has five stops:
> p (labial)    t (dental)    ts* (alveolar)    c (palatal)    k (velar)
> (*ts is often just [s] but is still counted as a stop.)
> I've been contemplating some sound change with the goal of getting rid
> of [p]. Which would be more reasonable?:
>
> p    t   ts   c   k     becoming
> k    t    ts   c   q     or becoming
> kw  t   ts   c   k
I think probably the first set, where *p becomes /k/.  Arapaho
underwent a similar process on its way from Proto-Algonkian.
It's reasonable to think that a pull-chain effect might have
started with *k becoming [q], leaving an opening for *p to fill.
It's an unusual change, but I know of no natural language that
would take *p and turn it into [kw] -- quite the opposite change
would be expected.

Maybe you could all sorts of morphological features where
/k/ is treated as a labial! :)

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Thomas Wier            "I find it useful to meet my subjects personally,
Dept. of Linguistics    because our secret police don't get it right
University of Chicago   half the time." -- octogenarian Sheikh Zayed of
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Chicago, IL 60637

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