People sometimes ask me if I wouldn’t be tired of working on Ayeri for 10 years already, but hm … to me, it’s like a good old friend, kind of. However, I’ve been playing around with sound changes a little before to maybe make a dialect or just fast-forward the whole thing or whatever in order to branch out for some new things. Here’s one such attempt that was at the back of my head and that I worked out last night. I kind of like the results, so maybe I’ll keep them for a dialect that I could still flesh out more later.
Variables
V = {i, iː, e, eː, a, aː, o, oː, u}
C = {p, t, k, b, d, g, m, n, ŋ, v, s, h, r, l, j, tʃ, dʒ}
N = {m, n, ŋ}
P = {t, k, d, g, s, l, j}
Raising and backing of /j/ between vowels
j → g / V_V
Vowels lower before nasals, then get lengthened as nasal drops out; apocope after nasal for multi-syllabic words
V → V̞ / _N
V → Ø / N_# except #C_
VN → Vː / _N except _NV
Diphthongs monophthongize
aʊj → aʊ / _
aʊ → uː / _
ʊɪ → iː / _
{aɪ, aːɪ, eɪ} → eː / {_C, _#}
ɔɪ → eː / _C
{V₁ːV₁ː, V₁ːV₁, V₁V₁ː, Vːː} → V₁ː / _
Palatalization
P → Pʲ / {{i, iː, e, eː} _, _ {i, iː, e, eː}}
{i, e} → i / {_Pʲ, Pʲ_}
i → Ø / _Pʲ except {_CC, #(C)(C)_}
Phonetic realization of /Pʲ/:
{tʲ, tj, kʲ, kj} → tʃ
{dʲ, dj, gʲ, gj, jʲ, jj} → dʒ
{sʲ, sj} → ʃ
{lʲ, lj} → j
{ttʃ, dtʃ, tʃʃ} → tʃ
{ddʒ, tdʒ, dʃʃ} → dʒ
Some examples
〈Ayeri〉 /ajeri/ ‘Ayeri’ |
→ |
j → g / V_V (ageri) P → Pʲ / {{i, iː, e, eː} _, _ {i, iː, e, eː}} (agʲeri), {i, e} → i / {_Pʲ, Pʲ_} (agʲiri), i → Ø / _Pʲ except {_CC, #(C)(C)_} (agʲiri) |
→ | 〈Ajiri〉 /adʒiri/ |
〈narān〉 /naraːn/ ‘word, language’ |
→ |
V → Ø / N_# except #C_ (naraːn), VN → Vː / _N except _NV (naraːː), {V₁ːV₁ː, V₁ːV₁, V₁V₁ː, Vːː} → V₁ː / _ (naraː) |
→ | 〈narā〉 /naraː/ |
〈ja〉 /dʒa/ ‘zero’ |
→ | Ø | → | 〈ja〉 /dʒa/ |
〈men〉 /men/ ‘one’ |
→ |
V → V̞ / _N (man), VN → Vː / _N except _NV |
→ | 〈mā〉 /maː/ |
〈sam〉 /sam/ ‘two’ |
→ | VN → Vː / _N except _NV | → | 〈sā〉 /saː/ |
〈kay〉 /kaɪ/ ‘three’ |
→ |
{aɪ, aːɪ, eɪ} → eː / {_C, _#} (keː), P → Pʲ / {{i, iː, e, eː} _, _ {i, iː, e, eː}} (kʲeː), {i, e} → i / {_Pʲ, Pʲ_} (kʲiː), i → Ø / _Pʲ except {_CC, #(C)(C)_} (kʲiː) |
→ | 〈cī〉 /tʃiː/ |
〈yo〉 /jo/ ‘four’ |
→ | Ø | → | 〈yo〉 /jo/ |
〈iri〉 /iri/ ‘five’ |
→ | Ø | → | 〈iri〉 /iri/ |
〈miye〉 /mije/ ‘six’ |
→ |
j → g / V_V (mige), P → Pʲ / {{i, iː, e, eː} _, _ {i, iː, e, eː}} (migʲe), {i, e} → i / {_Pʲ, Pʲ_} (migʲi), i → Ø / _Pʲ except {_CC, #(C)(C)_} (migʲi) |
→ | 〈miji〉 /midʒi/ |
〈ito〉 /ito/ ‘seven’ |
→ |
P → Pʲ / {{i, iː, e, eː} _, _ {i, iː, e, eː}} (itʲo), {i, e} → i / {_Pʲ, Pʲ_} (itʲo), i → Ø / _Pʲ except {_CC, #(C)(C)_} (tʲo) |
→ | 〈co〉 /tʃo/ |
〈hen〉 /hen/ ‘eight’ |
→ |
V → V̞ / _N (han), VN → Vː / _N except _NV |
→ | 〈hā〉 /haː/ |
〈veya〉 /veja/ ‘nine’ |
→ |
P → Pʲ / {{i, iː, e, eː} _, _ {i, iː, e, eː}} (vejʲa), {i, e} → i / {_Pʲ, Pʲ_} (vijʲa), i → Ø / _Pʲ except {_CC, #(C)(C)_} (vijʲa) |
→ | 〈vija〉 /vidʒa/ |
〈mal〉 /mal/ ‘ten’ |
→ | Ø | → | 〈mal〉 /mal/ |
〈tam〉 /tam/ ‘eleven’ |
→ | VN → Vː / _N except _NV | → | 〈tā〉 /taː/ |
〈lan〉 /lan/ ‘twelve’ |
→ | VN → Vː / _N except _NV | → | 〈lā〉 /laː/ |
〈badan〉 /badan/ ‘father’ |
→ | VN → Vː / _N except _NV | → | 〈badā〉 /badaː/ |
〈māva〉 /maːva/ ‘mother’ |
→ | Ø | → | 〈māva〉 /maːva/ |
〈ayon〉 /ajon/ ‘man, husband’ |
→ |
j → g / V_V (agon) V → V̞ / _N (agan), VN → Vː / _N except _NV |
→ | 〈agā〉 /agaː/ |
〈envan〉 /envan/ ‘woman, wife’ |
→ |
V → V̞ / _N (anvan), VN → Vː / _N except _NV |
→ | 〈āvā〉 /aːvaː/ |
〈yan〉 /jan/ ‘boy, son’ |
→ | VN → Vː / _N except _NV | → | 〈jā〉 /jaː/ |
〈lay〉 /laɪ/ ‘girl, daughter’ |
→ | {aɪ, aːɪ, eɪ} → eː / {_C, _#} | → | 〈lē〉 /leː/ |
〈netu〉 /netu/ ‘brother’ |
→ |
P → Pʲ / {{i, iː, e, eː} _, _ {i, iː, e, eː}} (netʲu), {i, e} → i / {_Pʲ, Pʲ_} (nitʲu), i → Ø / _Pʲ except {_CC, #(C)(C)_} (nitʲu) |
→ | 〈nicu〉 /nitʃu/ |
〈kina〉 /kina/ ‘sister’ |
→ |
V → V̞ / _N (kena), V → Ø / N_# except #C_ (ken), VN → Vː / _N except _NV (keː), P → Pʲ / {{i, iː, e, eː} _, _ {i, iː, e, eː}} (kʲeː), {i, e} → i / {_Pʲ, Pʲ_} (kʲiː) |
→ | 〈cī〉 /tʃiː/ |
〈sinya〉 /sinja/ ‘who, what’ |
→ |
V → V̞ / _N (senja), VN → Vː / _N except _NV (seːja), P → Pʲ / {{i, iː, e, eː} _, _ {i, iː, e, eː}} (sʲeːjʲa), {i, e} → i / {_Pʲ, Pʲ_} (sʲijʲa), i → Ø / _Pʲ except {_CC, #(C)(C)_} (sʲijʲa) |
→ | 〈śija〉 /ʃidʒa/ |
〈siyan〉 /sijan/ ‘where’ |
→ |
j → g / V_V (sigan), VN → Vː / _N except _NV (sigaː), P → Pʲ / {{i, iː, e, eː} _, _ {i, iː, e, eː}} (), {i, e} → i / {_Pʲ, Pʲ_} (sʲigʲaː), i → Ø / _Pʲ except {_CC, #(C)(C)_} (sʲigʲaː) |
→ | 〈śijā〉 /ʃidʒaː/ |
〈sitaday〉 /sitadaɪ/ ‘when’ |
→ |
{aɪ, aːɪ, eɪ} → eː / {_C, _#} (sitadeː), P → Pʲ / {{i, iː, e, eː} _, _ {i, iː, e, eː}} (sʲitadʲeː), {i, e} → i / {_Pʲ, Pʲ_} (sʲitadʲi), i → Ø / _Pʲ except {_CC, #(C)(C)_} (sʲitadʲ) |
→ | 〈śitaj〉 /ʃitadʒ/ |
〈sikay〉 /sikaɪ/ ‘how (circumstance)’ |
→ |
{aɪ, aːɪ, eɪ} → eː / {_C, _#} (sikeː), P → Pʲ / {{i, iː, e, eː} _, _ {i, iː, e, eː}} (sʲikʲeː), {i, e} → i / {_Pʲ, Pʲ_} (sʲikʲiː) |
→ | 〈śicī〉 /ʃitʃiː/ |
〈simin〉 /simin/ ‘how (way)’ |
→ |
V → V̞ / _N (semen), VN → Vː / _N except _NV (semeː) P → Pʲ / {{i, iː, e, eː} _, _ {i, iː, e, eː}} (sʲemeː), {i, e} → i / {_Pʲ, Pʲ_} (sʲimeː) |
→ | 〈śimē〉 /ʃimeː/ |
〈sinyisa〉 /sinjisa/ ‘why’ |
→ |
V → V̞ / _N (senjisa), V → Ø / N_# except #C_ (se:jisa), P → Pʲ / {{i, iː, e, eː} _, _ {i, iː, e, eː}} (sʲeːjʲisʲa), {i, e} → i / {_Pʲ, Pʲ_} (sʲijʲisʲa), i → Ø / _Pʲ except {_CC, #(C)(C)_} (sʲijʲsʲa) |
→ | 〈śija〉 /ʃidʒa/ |
Seems like I recreated Brazilian Portuguese to some degree … Also, vowel length is now even more phonemic. Question words have also been thoroughly shaken up: sinya ‘who, what’ → śija; sinyisa ‘why’ → śija; siyan ‘where’ → śijā (yano ‘place’ → yān). However, looking at a whole sentence, I think palatalization isn’t as frequent as it seems (I hope I applied the rules above correctly …):
Ya sahaya lanyāng gino nanga, sa silvyāng patas si ang tahaya bilingley vinaya, lāya nay bantaya yana, nay lanyāng sigi. Ang praysaya tupoyas kayvo runuya-ikan, nay saraya patasang.
Ya sahaga lānā jī nā, sa śiyvyā patas śi ā tahaga biyīyī venaga, lāga nē bātaga yā, nē lāyā śiji. Ā prīśaga tupogas cīvo ronuga-icā, nē saraga patasā.
Note that this treats inflected stems as units even though Ayeri is very agglutinative, but why not.