Talk:Siye

Siye [ne sʌⁿme] > Rural Ye [nɑⁿme] CAUS?

Possibilities

-neu-amo > -newamo rather than namo

-neau-amo > -nawamo rather than namo

Aspiration Question

Are consonants from prefixes which are combined with a vowel-initial verb root aspirated? pe + a/tom produces pha or pa?

Evolution of PAM Suffix plus Interrogative Suffix

numo, nukumo, numo, nekumo > Ye nimo, ni:mo, nimo, ni:mo > Ye nimo, to nimo, ni:mo, to ni:mo

Stress Assignment

Siye stress is trochaic and dactylic. It is not particularly strong but it does make fine distinctions. Primary stress is on the verb root, secondary stress (if at all possible) on the directional suffix, and the PAM suffix (if at all possible) is unstressed. This last may be related to the modern Siye homophony of the frequently adjacent superdirectional suffix /na/ and the PAM suffix number 2 (perfective aspect, positive polarity, realis mood) /na/. Furthermore, a verb root or suffix may only take stress on its initial syllable; following syllables must be unstressed. Double syllables reduced to a single syllable retain the stress of any stressed syllable involved in the reduction. Stress on the final syllable is not permitted. Prefixes are technically outside the stress system, thereby allowing the vowel of the first syllable of the verb root to receive primary stress (and the consonant of the first syllable of the verb root to be aspirated where appropriate), which allows (but does not permit – see converbal suffixes for the distinction) prefixes to be elided in daily fast speech if the context is clear. If there is one prefix or the surface form of the two prefixes reduces to one syllable, that syllable is unstressed. If the two prefixes remain bisyllabic, the origin of the prefixes as independent pronouns yields a strong secondary stress on the initial prefix. This stress is technically slightly stronger than the secondary stress on the directional suffix, since the directional suffix has been incorporated longer in the verb complex; often, however, the secondary stress on the prefix is flattened out to match the secondary stress on the directional suffix – especially if the backed subject has become the latest suffix that was formerly independent. In more careless speech, all of these secondary suffixes are reduced to equality.