Mari

My ad hoc reconstruction of Mari vocalism (note: read literature):

• *e *i *o *u *ü *ö = branches agree
  • Hill Mari /ä/ ← *e / _{ŋ, r}_
• reduced high vowels: *ɪ *ʏ *ʊ = Hill (Western) Mari /ə ə ɤ/, Meadow (Eastern) Mari /i y u/
• reduced mid vowels: *ə *ɤ = Hill Mari /ə ɤ/, Meadow Mari /ɤ o/ (no front rounded member?)
  • NB: /ə ɤ/ are more accurately [ə̟ ə̠], or perhaps [e̽ o̽].
• *a *oo = in Hill Mari /a o/, Meadow Mari /o u/
  • /a/ also exists sporadically in Meadow Mari.

The vowel inventories are:

• Me /a e i o u ü ö/
• Hi /a e i o u ü ö ä ə ɤ/
• NW dialects also /ʊ ʏ/

Etymology notes

The development *e_i → *ə appears to be limited to loanwords (so not common inheritance after all?):

• *əšte- "to be in time" ← *eštə-; in Permic may be a BF loan
• *ləštaš "leaf" ← *leštə ← IE
• *šəm "7" ← #śeććəmə ← IE? NB irregular medial loss (but could be secondary haplology)

(more frequent in *e_ä-roots, but note *rəwəž "fox" ← *repä ← II)

The distribution of *a vs. *o

These two vowels appear basically in the same contexts with not much respect for etymological origin; regularly from *a and *ë_a, slightly less regularly from *o_ə, sporadically from *o_a and *ë_ə. Let's see if the distribution has any relation to the consonant environment:

	*a	*o
∅-	*a / _Ć *anće- "to blink" ~ P *addźɨ- "to see" *aškəl "step" ← *aśkəl *ažnə "early" ~ P *våådź "id."	*o, otherwise *omə "sleep" ← *aðəma *oŋgə "hook" ← *oŋkə ← IE *opte- "to bark" ← *apta- *opte- "to put up" ← *ëkta- *ošə "white" ← *akš/ška *owə "father-in-law" ← *ëppə *ožə "stallion" ~ P *uuž
*p-	*a, otherwise *pač "spot" ← #pačɜ "variegated" *pač "tail" ← *pončə *pača "to open" ← *panča- *pačaš "layer" ← #pëča? *pačke- "to shake" ~ K. pɨškɨ- "id." *pandə "stick" ← *pontə *pańəža- "to fry" ? ← *pënə- "to put" *parema- "to recover" ← *para *parmə "gadfly" ← *parəma *pašə- "to grow" ~ P. *puušjɨ- "to sprout" *pat "pot" ← *pata	*o / _[+BACK] *pokte- "to pursue" ~ EU *pʊktɜ- *poNəš "bosom" ← *poŋə *poŋgə "mushroom" ← *pëŋka ← IE
*w-	*wače "shoulder" ~ K. voč "ключица" *wačkalt- "to hit" ← *wačka- *wačkə "tub" ← *wočkə *waðar "udder" ← IE *wakta- "to peel" ← *watka- *wale- "to leave" ← *wëlka- *walɣəðə "light" ← *wëlkəta *wanče- "to step over" ← *wanča- *waštalte- "to exchange" ~ P. *vöštɨ- "id." *waštar "maple" ← *wakštəra *waštareš "opposite" ← *wasta- *waštər "twig" ← *wasta (!) *wat "fishing line" ← *wata (← Gmc) *waźa- "to fall" ← #waśa- *waźe "twig" ← #waśə *waž "branch" ← *waša *waž "root" ← *wanča *-waž "metal" ← #wäśkä *wažəla- "to be ashamed" ← #wV(n)ćV-	(no examples!)

The development of *ð, *ðʲ, *t

*ð- → l- *lepə "spleen" ← *ðäpðä	*ðʲ- → l- *leŋəš "bucket" ← *ðʲäŋɜsɜ *lom "bird cherry" ← *ðʲëmə /loɣe-/ "to push" ← *ðʲokka- ? /lümö/ "glue" (which dialect?) ← *ðʲümä	*t- → t- [abundant examples, not included]
*-ð- → ∅ *om "sleep" ← *oðama *kooe- "to weave" ← *kuða- *šooe "duck" ← *śoðka *šüm "hart" ← *šêðäm(ə) *weem "marrow" ← *wiðəm(ə)	-ðʲə → ∅ *šü(j) "coal" ← *śüðʲə (or *śüðə) *u "new" ← *wuðʲə
(no examples of *ð → ð/t!)	*-ðʲa → -ð- *koðe- "to leave" ← *kaðʲa- *šuðe- "to curse" ← *śoðʲa- possibly also: *kot "time" ← *koðʲwa *kʊðaša- "to take off" ← *koðʲɜ- *mooðə "berry" ← ? *meðʲɜ *šoðə "lung" ~ K. šɤĺ (or ~ S. *sōvtē?)	*-ta → -ð- *jaða- "to ask" ← *jata- *lööðə "" ← *rita *nuðə "younger sis-in-law" ← *nato *kuðə "house" ← *kota *laðə "" ← *latu *šʏðəkš "" ← *sitoks (West only, *ð/*ðʲ also poss.) *wiðe- "to lead" ← *wetä- *wüðe- "" ← *wetä- "sow" *piðə- "to bind" ~ H fűz- "id." *šüð-ər "axle" ← *sëtə *šüðə "100" ← IE *waðar "udder" ← IE (independantly of FMo *uTar)
	*-ðʲ- → -t possibly: *kot "time" ← *koð⁽ʲ⁾wa (or *-tw-)	*-tə → -t *kit "hand" ← *kätə *wʏt "water" ← *wetə *jʏt "" ← *jEti *kut "6" ← #kuxti

Exceptions: *kəl "handle" ← *käwðə "rope", probably from Permic (note also irregular *ə)

T-loss:

• *müj ← *mêti

T-retention (final, all nouns):

• *pat ← *pata
• *wat ← *wata
• rot ← *rotV