Proto-Samic

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")

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

Shared with Finnic & Mordvinic

• ë → a
• ðʲ → ð (also lʲ → l, if it exists separately; note that other palatals *tɕ *ɕ *nʲ 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 aa 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)
• x → k
• sʲ <ś> → tɕ <č> _V
• tʃ ʃ <č š> → ts s <c s>

• 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

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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>

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.