Re: COMMENT PLEASE (WAS:Conlang Journal and being a fish)

jaspax@U.WASHINGTON.EDU writes:


 > Elliott Lash sikyal:
 >
 > > The word _ja_ derives regularly from ancient Atlantaic _eda_ > The
sequence of sound changes was:

 > /Eda/ > /ED/ > /jED/ > /jE:/ > /je:/ > /jeI/ > /joI/ > /jo@/
 > /jo:/ > /jA:/ > /ja:/ > /ja/
>
 > Do you guys think that these are plausible changes to occur over a time span
of around 3000 years?

> Sure. I assume, though, that all of these changes are universal in their
> language, and not specific to their word.
 Yep, this same general process happens in other places as well. Such as the word:
 *dwelirjos "small village, homestead" >

 /dwIlirjoh/ > /dwIlirro/ > /wIlirr@/ > /wIlEr@/ > /wIlEr/ > /wIlE:4/ >
/wIlE:@/ > /wIle:@/ > /wIle:/ > /wIleI/ > /wIloI/ > /wIlo@/ > /wIlo:/ > /wIlA:/
> /vIla:/ > /vila:/ > /vila/ > /vil@/
 _vila_ "commune"  In unstressed position, one more change applied to go from /a/ to schwa.


> > What I mean is that you didn't do what I did when I was 14 and first
> > starting doing language history. I would have etymologies like:
> >
> > bota > bot > boT
> > gota > goda > gora
> >
> > Which is wrong, for obvious reasons.
 Well...what if the stress was on the _a_ in _gota_ then it could work out ok.

 > Only /jeI/ > /joI/ seems at all odd, but not so odd that
> it's never
 > happened in real life.

Something like this happened in Old French I believe:

 _mei_ "me"

 /mej/ > /meI/ > /m@I/ > /moI/ > /moE/ > /mwE/ > /mwa/  _moi_

I'm not sure of the actual sequence or if this is correct in all particulars, but
in anycase, I was modelling the change
after this.

 Elliott Lash.