Proto-Samic: Difference between revisions

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(→‎Pre-Samic to Proto-Samic: generalizations)
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'''Proto-Samic''' is the reconstructed last common ancestor of the [[Samic languages]]. It was spoken in the 1st millennium CE in the area of modern-day northern Finland. (If extinct southern languages are included, this dating will likely become both older and more southern. Stem-group para-Samic languages have from toponymic evidence once been spoken as far south as the Baltic coast)
==Sound changes from [[Proto-Uralic]]==
==Sound changes from [[Proto-Uralic]]==
'''Possibly original:'''
'''Possibly original:'''
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===Proto-Uralic to Pre-Samic (≈ "Finno-Volgaic")===
===Proto-Uralic to Pre-Samic (≈ "Finno-Volgaic")===
* w → ∅ / _{y u o} (shared with [[Finnish|Finnic]], Mordvinic, Mari)
* j → ∅ / _{i e} (not sure about the distribution of this)
'''Shared with Finnic & Mordvinic'''
'''Shared with Finnic & Mordvinic'''
* ë → a
* ë → a
* ðʲ → ð (also lʲ → l, if it exists separately; note that other palatals *tɕ *ɕ *nʲ remain)
* ðʲ → ð (also lʲ → l, if it exists separately; note that other palatals remain)


'''Shared with Mordvinic'''
'''Shared with Mordvinic'''
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'''Spirant fortition'''
'''Spirant fortition'''
* ś x → ć k / _V
* ś x → ć k / _V
* PS *ć (written also *č) is probably best described as a palatal stop, so we may be dealing with a process [sʲ ~ ɕ] → [ç] → [c]. Original *s *š however remain sibilants!
* PS *ć (written also *č) is probably best described as a palatal stop, so we may be dealing with a process [sʲ ~ ɕ] → [ç] → [c]. Note that original *s *š remain sibilants!
* *ś (likewise also written *š) remains elsewhere (just _{k t}?)
* PS *ś (likewise also written *š) remains elsewhere (just _{k t}?)


'''Fronting of postalveolars'''
'''Fronting of postalveolars'''
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'''Popular areal changes'''
'''Popular areal changes'''
* w → ∅ / _{y u o} (shared with [[Finnish|Finnic]], Mordvinic, Mari)
* j → ∅ / _{i e} (not sure about the distribution of this)
* w → v (even syllable-finally)
* w → v (even syllable-finally)


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Gradation could be described around here.
Gradation could be described around here.


'''Centralization''' (a late change - consider eg the northern Lappland toponym ''*ɤnárɤš'' → Finnish ''Inari'')
'''Centralization''' (a late change - consider eg the northern Lappland toponym *ɤnárɤš → Finnish ''Inari'')
* ɪ ʊ → ɤ o
* ɪ ʊ → ɤ o
There may have also been a lax unrounded back vowel (see [[Proto-Uralic/new#*ô|ô_a]]). A merger into that might provide the motivation for the unusual back reflex of PU *i.
There may have also been a high lax unrounded back vowel (see [[Proto-Uralic/new#*ô|ô_a]]). A merger into that might provide the motivation for the unusual back reflex of PU *i.
<hr>
<hr>
This results in the following inventory:
This results in the following inventory:
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* short vowels */ɤ o/ <ë o>
* short vowels */ɤ o/ <ë o>


/ea oa/ are traditionally analyzed as [ɛː ɔː], however I'm at a loss to explain how would *ɑː end up as *oː in that case.
/ea oa/ are traditionally analyzed as [ɛː ɔː] rather than [ea oa], however I'm at a loss to explain how would *ɑː end up as *oː in that case.


The shortening of iː uː → i u and the [[diphthongization]] eː oː → ie uo may postdate Proto-Samic; the former have bimoraic reflexes /ij uv/ in South Samic.
The shortening of iː uː → i u and the [[diphthongization]] eː oː → ie uo may postdate Proto-Samic; the former have bimoraic reflexes /ij uv/ in South Samic. At any rate, as eg. *a *e in Scandinavian loans ends up as *á *é, the "long" vowels must've been the unmarked series.

Revision as of 11:16, 15 December 2009

Proto-Samic is the reconstructed last common ancestor of the Samic languages. It was spoken in the 1st millennium CE in the area of modern-day northern Finland. (If extinct southern languages are included, this dating will likely become both older and more southern. Stem-group para-Samic languages have from toponymic evidence once been spoken as far south as the Baltic coast)

Sound changes from Proto-Uralic

Possibly original:

  • e → ɪ / _Ci (see )
  • e → e / _{j w x} (ie. does not become *ɪ → *ɤ)
  • Vx → Və → Vː / _C

Proto-Uralic to Pre-Samic (≈ "Finno-Volgaic")

Shared with Finnic & Mordvinic

  • ë → a
  • ðʲ → ð (also lʲ → l, if it exists separately; note that other palatals remain)

Shared with Mordvinic

  • ü → i (feeds the next changes)
  • i → iː / _{j x}
  • u → uː / _{w x}
  • i u → ɪ ʊ (*iː *uː remain) (also shared with Nenets!)

Pre-Samic to Proto-Samic

  • V → Vː / [-HIGH] (also shared with Nenets!)

a-umlaut

  • eː äː oː → ea aː oa / _C{aː, oː} (note that this *aː is distinct from *ɑː!)

2nd syllable vowel changes go around here…

  • x, ŋ → w / _t (*xt only occurring in newer derivativs/loans)

Spirant fortition

  • ś x → ć k / _V
  • PS *ć (written also *č) is probably best described as a palatal stop, so we may be dealing with a process [sʲ ~ ɕ] → [ç] → [c]. Note that original *s *š remain sibilants!
  • PS *ś (likewise also written *š) remains elsewhere (just _{k t}?)

Fronting of postalveolars

  • tʃ ʃ <č š> → ts s <c s>

Popular areal changes

  • w → ∅ / _{y u o} (shared with Finnic, Mordvinic, Mari)
  • j → ∅ / _{i e} (not sure about the distribution of this)
  • w → v (even syllable-finally)

Raising & epenthesis (first two shared with North Finnic but obviously non-genetic)

  • äː ɑː → eː oː / [+STR]
  • ∅ → v / #_oː
  • ∅ → j / #_eː
  • aː → eː / [-STR]

Gradation could be described around here.

Centralization (a late change - consider eg the northern Lappland toponym *ɤnárɤš → Finnish Inari)

  • ɪ ʊ → ɤ o

There may have also been a high lax unrounded back vowel (see ô_a). A merger into that might provide the motivation for the unusual back reflex of PU *i.


This results in the following inventory:

  • long vowels */iː eː ea aː oa oː uː/ <í é ea á oa ó ú>
  • short vowels */ɤ o/ <ë o>

/ea oa/ are traditionally analyzed as [ɛː ɔː] rather than [ea oa], however I'm at a loss to explain how would *ɑː end up as *oː in that case.

The shortening of iː uː → i u and the diphthongization eː oː → ie uo may postdate Proto-Samic; the former have bimoraic reflexes /ij uv/ in South Samic. At any rate, as eg. *a *e in Scandinavian loans ends up as *á *é, the "long" vowels must've been the unmarked series.