Proto-Samoyedic

Soundchanges from Proto-Uralic:

Proto-Uralic to Proto-Ugric

It appears that all of the shared Ugric innovations are also applicable to Samoyedic.

• *ðʲ → *lʲ (further shared with Permic; possibly a pseudo-sound change, the case for PU *lʲ is weak, and this may point to *ðʲ being [lʲ])
• *k, *x, *w → ɣ / V_i (all eventually lost in Smy; Permic is similar here, too)
• *s, *š → *θ (= [ɬ] per Khanty?)
• *sʲ → *s
• *Ck, kC → *ɣC? / C = *θ, *s (no direct evidence of this belonging together due to later loss in Smy)
• *Ck → *C / C = *t, *č (check! ought to be later per open/close issues)
• *ɤ → *ɯ / _C(C)a (most general condition; also in *ëni, *lëmpi; exceptions *tëka, *lëpa (FSM vs. Smy only), *ëńa)
• perhaps some other vowel splits? (if not rather Finno-Permic mergers)

Proto-Ugric to Proto-Samoyedic

• *x → *ə (probably common Uralic, but tends to disappear elsewhere)
• *e → *i / _C(C)a (shared with Mansi)
• *ŋ → *n / _θ (*jOŋsi only)
• *m → *p / _θ ? (*pImsimi only; fairly ad hoc cluster)
• *θ → *t (counterbleeds the previous two — *mt *ŋt remain)
• *tsʲ → *s
• *o → *a (feeds fronting to *ä in some cases; *tolwa → *tälwä, *tåjwä both)
• *ü → *i (feeds the next)
• *u → *ə / _C(C)a
  • and / _ŋ? *suŋi → *təŋ; also *kurki → *kərə
• *i → *ə / _C(C?)a (check relation to initial *l-!)
• *u → *o / _Ci (counterfeeds *o → *a, block'd by an original cluster, exception *kulki- → *kəj-)

(an inefficiently asymmetric set of sound changes!)

• *l → *lʲ / _C, #_, _i(C)#
  • Word-initial development is clear, tho exceptions happen (*lëmpi, *lëmti, *lëpa, *lëpsi, *luwi → *lë - all back unrounded?)
  • *-lw- → *-jw- is clear
  • *-lt-, *-alm- unchanged (*kulta-, *kalma; both potential derivativs!)
  • *-ilm- → *-əjm-, *-lki → *-j and *-li → *-j may be due to coda position or palatalization
• possibly: *e → *ɪ / _C(C)i (no phonemical significance)
• *ä → *e ([ɛ] or [e]? depends on the previous)
• *a → *ä [æ]? / before a coda palatal (sometimes elsewhere); is fed by palatalization of *l
• Unstress'd (generally, final) vowels:
  • *a → *a [ɑ]? / after front vowels or a lateral (sometimes elsewhere)
    • not in *muðʲa → *məjå, *su(w)ðʲa → *səjå
  • *a → *ə / sometimes (*jupta, *konta, *kuma, *sʲala, *sʲoðʲa, *tora)
  • *a → *å [ɒ] / elsewhere
  • *i → *ə / _# (perhaps not feasible as PUg per palatalization of *l)
• *lʲ → *j (counterbleeds *a → *a, feeds the next two)
• *i → *ə / _j
• *j → ∅ / aə_ (*kaxli-, *ńäxli- → *kåə-, *ńåə-?)
• Word-finally *ə → ∅ / VC_# (fed by vocalization of *x *lʲ, counterfed by ɣ-loss, exceptions *juri, *sʲüðʲi)
• *ð → *r (could be dated about anywhere)
• *e → *ü / _Cw (*käwði, *jäwji - but not in *täwði?)
• *w → *m / _lʲ ? (*käðʲwa only - apparently South Smy. only)
• *ɣ → ∅; or *k → ∅ / _C_ (except *-ŋk-) (counterbleeds *ə → ∅, cf. next)
• *w → ∅ / in a 2nd syllable (counterbleeds *ə → ∅; *jäwji, *käliw, *täwði, etc. Remains *täwiw → *tiwə, also in *-jw- of either origin (suggesting interm. *ɣ?))

Later development

Vowels

Nganasan

• Consonant palatalization: s k t ŋ n → š š č (check) ń ń / _{i ɪ e ä ü ö}
• Vowel palatalization: *ë (? → ɪ) → i / {s, ń}_; *e → a / {s, ń, j}_
• "Umlaut loss": *ü *ï *ë *ä *ö → i i a a *o
  • Modern /y/ results from assimilations of /i/, /u/
• Back raising: *o *å → u o;
  • including *oə *åə → ua oa → ua ua
• Sequence smoothing
  • *iə → ie (via [iæ]?)
  • *üə → i
  • *ëə (→ ? *aa) → a
  • *öə → oa (not ˣua ! probably wasn't actually [øə])
• ɪ → ɨ (very late; oldest record still render this as <e>)
• Difthongs in -j develop per components
• p → f → h
  • fu ==
  • mp → ŋh
  • fa → fua

Tundra Nenets

• *å → *a
• *ü → *ö
• High laxing/Lo tensing (Shared with Samic!!)
  • *i *ï *u *ə → *ɪ *ɪ̈ *ʊ *a
  • all other monofthongs → long
• Front/back contrast shifts from vowels to consonants:
  • *ɪ *eː *äː *öː → ʲɪ ʲeː ʲaː ʲoː
  • *ɪ̈ *ëː → ɪ eː
• ~Monofthongization
  • *äj *ej → both iː
  • *aj → æː [ae]