Re: Questions and Impressions of Basque

On 06 Sep 2004 Benct Philip Jonsson <bpj@MEL...> wrote:

> Actually it is a lot funkier: o > o: > uo > ue > ui > i before a
> disappearing *I\ or *U\!
  My sources give another series: /o/ > /o:/ > /uo/ (or: /wo/) >
/y2/ (or: /H2/) > /y/ > /i/. In a number of Ukrainian and Rusyn
dialects, the intermediate forms (diphthongs and /y/) can be
onserved until now.
  Moreover, the glide (or the initial element) of the diphthong had
to get a front articulation relatively early since it palatalizes
the previous consonant.

---

  There is a similar alternation between Russian |o| and Ukrainian
{y} (not {i}*), e.g. Russian {poj!} ~ Ukrainian {pyj!} 'drink!'
which _is_ connected with the vocalization of the yers. The yers
before a /j/ were in a special, so-called "stretched" position.
These streched yers vocalized differently from normal yers, i.e
they became front {i} and back {y}. Except in Russian, where in
stressed positions they developed into {e} and {o} as normal yers
(the latter is a bit simplified approach but IMHO statisfactory for
non-Slavists). Later  old {i} /I/ and {y} /1/ merged into a common
{y} /I/ in Ukrainian. An example showing both kinds of alternation:
Ru. {bol'shoj} ~ Ukr. {bil'shyj}
  * In some cases, analogy occasionally made {i} from {y}, though.