Re: Language Identification?

Muke:

<<Well, there's always the process of elimination :x)
It's not Serbo-Croat or Russian, but it's closer to the latter.>>

Wait, wait, wait.   How is it *not* Russian?   Take into account the 
following:

<<Neither I nor the person
> I learned it from knew how it was spelled, so here's an improvised
> transcription:>>
The only word I see that doesn't look like an exact one-to-one correspondant 
is "utra" for open, but that could be explained fairly easily.   Since the C 
sequence should be /tkr/, then either: (1) The /t/ geminated, or (2) it was 
interpreted by the listener as just another part of the /t/--in other words, it 
got lost between the /t/ and /r/.   As for the following:

<<> Búdes spádats útro.
> "It will rain tomorrow.">>
I'd argue the "rain" word is "padat", or something like it, and "utro" is 
really "zavtra" pronounced [saftra], with possibly the /f/ going silent since 
it's in coda position.   It is a very weak fricative.   As for the rain word 
itself, it doesn't look like /dozhd'/, but it could be some other local word.

Anyway, I wouldn't discount it as being Russian just yet.   I'd like to hear 
it, see if a more accurate transcription can be made.

-David

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