Re: CHAT: vowel reduction (was Re: CHAT: A flat minor)

--- In conlang@y..., "Isaac A. Penzev" <isaacp@u...> wrote:

> ObConlang: Does any of your conlangs have regular vowel reduction
bound to stress shift, like in Russian [dOm] - [dV"ma] "house" -

"houses", ["gOr@t] - [g@rV"da] "city" - "cities"; or (Old) Hebrew

[kQ:"Bo:D] - [k@Bo:"Do:] "glory" - "his glory", [zQ:"qe:n] -

*[z@q@"ne:] > [ziq"ne:] "elder" - "elders of"?


Yes, both of my conlangs have that.

In Obrenje, the vowels in stressed open syllables are pronounced
differently than in closed or unstressed syllables.  Furthermore, unstressed
/E/ degrades to [@].  Stress shifts are commonly brought about by the
inflection for definiteness.  Example: |rena| /"re:na/ "name", |renae| /r@"na:/
"the name".  Also, diphthongs tend to collapse into simple vowels in compounds:
|fajde| /fajd/ "dance:3e" yields |fendi| /"fEndi/ "elegant, nimble" under the
|-nje| adjective derivation.

In Jovian, the reduction is even more prominent.  Diphthongs are only
pronounced as such in stressed open syllables; elsewhere, they are reduced to
single vowel sounds.  Example: |faege| [fajg] "makes", |faegiva| [fE"gi:v@]
"made".  Secondary stress can save the diphthong: |caegravija| [,kajgr@"vi:j@]
"calligraphy".


-- Christian Thalmann

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