Paradigm Levelling (was: I'm Back)

David Peterson Wrote:

Just a quick note to let everyone know I'm back.

Ob Conlang: Anyone done any experimenting with paradigm
leveling?   I know of plenty of natlang examples but can't recall
any conlang examples.
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I already replied to this, but mistakenly confused analogy in paradigms to
paradigm levelling. Oops.

Paradigm levelling also occurs in Silindion, mostly in verbs.

In the passive voice, the Optative/Future Tense and the Subjunctive Present
Tense becomes the same thing:

nak- "to kill"
(inf: nakyello)
(passive participle: nankë)

PASSIVE STEM:  nanki-

Optative/Future Passive:
nanki-e-si     nanki-e-na
nanki-e-lë     nanki-e-nta
nanki-ë        nanki-e-nto  / -ntë

OLDER Subjunctive Present Passive:
nanki-ei-si   nanki-ei-na
nanki-ei-lë   nanki-ei-nta
nanki-ë       nanki-ei-nto / -ntë

However, this older form of the subjunctive present passive was the same as
the past tense passive. Since the optative/future and the subjunctive
present have more in common with each other than the subjunctive has with
the past, in later stages of the language, the -E- of the Optative was
spread to the subjunctive.

So, the paradigmatic difference between subjunctive present and optative
future in the passive voice was levelled.

The earlier equation of subjunctive present passive and past passive was
the result of sound change, and not analogy.

The Early Old Silindion Forms for the past passive were:

nankë iei-si  nankë iei-na
nankë iei-lë  nankë iei-nta
nankë ië      nankë iei-nto / -ntë

(compounds of the passive participle and the past tense of the copula)

The Early Old Silindion Forms for the subjunctive present passive were:

nankë +  ei-si, -lë, ei, -na, -nta, -nto, -ntë

(compounds of passive participle and subjunctive present of the copula)

Sound changes made these two identical, and thus the paradigm was levelled
the first time.

Elliott Lash