Proto-Samic: Difference between revisions
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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")=== | ||
'''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 | * 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]. | * 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 | '''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 12:16, 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 *ê)
- 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.
