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

Hey:

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

The mid front rounded vowel is not the result of umlauting and
is not accompanied by a high front rounded vowel.

Dirk

--
Dirk Elzinga                          dirk.elzinga@m.cc.utah.edu

"The strong craving for a simple formula
has been the undoing of linguists."               - Edward Sapir

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