Re: Chain shifts & transformed u's, was: Blandness

On Tue, 10 Apr 2001 08:50:19 -0600, dirk elzinga
<dirk.elzinga@...> wrote:

>Here's the exception that proves the rule. Proto-Uto-Aztecan had
>the following vowel inventory:
>
>        i       i-      u
>                        o
>                a
>
>This is preserved in Numic, Tübatulabal, and Pimic. Hopi shows
>the following changes:
>
>        *o > ö
>        *u > o
>
>Yielding the system:
>
>        i       i-
>        ö               o
>                a
>
Hmm... the resulting inventory looks rather asymmetrical. Is it
complete, or are there more phonemes (from contracted diphthongs,
former positional variants, etc.)?

If it is, then, since the rounded phonemes are not opposed to any
narrower sounds, it can be reinterpreted as:

         i  Ü  i- U
               a

As the default development it indeed looks weird. OTOH every natlang
has a few weird features ;)


Basilius