[EDIT: I've revised this list, changing the order of a lot of rules, adding some things I missed, and trying to better explain some of the irregularities. I may tinker with it a little more, but I think it's close to being as good as I can get it now. Asterisks still mark irregular or uncertain changes, and I've given more examples for some of the more obscure or ambiguous ones.]
I originally wrote:So now that this is actually happening, I looked over those sound changes again, and I found lots of little complications I didn't notice before. In particular, changes involving vowels (especially diphthongs) and stress seem to be often irregular or unpredictable.
Here's what I've got now... irregular changes, or ones whose conditions I'm not sure about, are marked with asterisks, and I've given all the examples of those in parentheses. The most common/regular development is listed first, followed by the exceptions/irregularities; I think that's easier to read, although an SCA program would want them in the reverse order. I think I've got most of the changes in the right order otherwise.
Anyway, if anyone wants to check my results or try to clear up some of the confusing parts that'd be great.
Ndak Ta/Adāta sound changes [revised!]
m=,n=,ŋ=/a/_
Stress moves to the first syllable in all words.
au/"ū/{closed syllable} (12 words)
*au/(")ā/{closed syllable} (2 words: maunde/"māthe, rauŋ/rān)
au/"ō/{open syllable} (~35 words; unstressed in mpau/"apō)
*au/"ē/{open syllable} (1 Gezoro loanword: kuthau/ku"thē)
ãu/"ū/{closed syllable} (regular by analogy with au; 1 word: mbãur/a"būr)
*ãu/(")ā/{closed syllable} (1 word: ntãug/"atāx)
*ãu/(")ūn/_# (1 word: tsilãu/"silūn; but cf. idãu/i"dō)
ãu/"ō/{open syllable} (3 words: idãu/i"dō, ãukwai/ō"pē, tsãuki/"sōki)
ai/"ā/{closed syllable} (~28 words)
*ai/"ē/{closed syllable} (2 words: baitrai/bē"rē [cf. gaibra/xāra], paiŋkwu/pēkhu [cf. aimbu/āphu, aiŋgàu/ākhō, etc.])
ai/"ē/{open syllable} (~48 words; unstressed in ~7 or 8 words)
ãi/"ā/{closed syllable} (no examples, but this would clearly be the regular development)
*ãi/"ān/_# (2 words: abãi/a"bān, & unstressed in kumãi/"kumān; but cf. the following)
ãi/"ē/{open syllable} (4 words: ãidai/"ēdē, ŋwãi/iē, lewaitsãi/lezē"sē, & unstressed in ŋwolãi/"iolē)
*(Gezoro oi seems to pattern with ai, more or less: thunoi/thu"nē, gekhoig/xe"khāg, gekhoija/xe"khāza; OTOH honkhoi/hokho)
NB: The latest change (as listed above) that affects a given word is assumed to be where the stress stays; in words with two identical diphthongs the stress falls on the second one (baitrai/bē"rē, naisŋai/nā"iē, bwaiiskaimel/zēi"kēmel). Exceptions to the expected stress patterns, according to these rules, include dauwai/"dōzē (instead of dō"zē) and ai"lau/ē"lō (instead of "ēlō). If these rules are correct, ē"lō appears to be the only word with irregular stress that
doesn't stress the first syllable.
V~/Vn/_#
V~/V/_C
m,ŋ/n/_#
mb,mp,ŋkw/ph/V_V
nd,nt/th/V_V
ŋg,ŋk/kh/V_V
*rt/th/V_V (airti/āthi; but cf. tsurtor/sūtor, orte/ūte)
kw(h)/p(h)/_ (except paiŋkwu/pēkhu, where kwh/kh)
*(gw/b/#_ in Gez. gwaunkhōs/būkhōs)
bw/w/_
w/j/_
ia/ija/_ (miasko/mizāko)
j/z/#_, V_V
m,n,ŋ//_j
*j/i/C_V (mwarwobm/iarioba suggests this)
s/:/V_# (except Gez. gwaunkhōs/būkhōs)
s/:/V_o (disau/dī"ō, & Gez. reso/rēo, wesau/zē"ō)
*s/:/V_a (asa/ā, nasa/nā may imply this)
s//V_V
s/h/#_
*(Gezoro x seems to behave like s: nalaxempha/nalāepha, which may then be more evidence for s/:/V_a)
st,ts/s/_
*mm/m/V_V (ammi/ami)
VC/V:/_C
*(in orte/ūte--and that word only, AFAICT--there's also a change in vowel quality)
ŋ/j/_V
g/j/_i,_u
*g/j/i_V (Gez. digos/deiō; no counterexamples...)
g/x/_ (except some Xšali loan words; & oddly, Gez. gekhoig/xe"khāg)
*ji/i/e_ (deŋi/dei)
ji/ja/{most of the time} (gibm/iaba, giŋko/iakho, ŋimbu/iaphu, orŋi/ōia)
*ii or ji/ei/?C_# (apwi/apei)
*je,ie/ja/{rarely} (ŋende/iathe, malwe/malia; but not in at least 7 other words)
*ij/ej/_a,_o (imbwa/eia, & Gez. ijō/eiō, digos/deiō)
*ij/i/_a,_e (simwai/hi"ē, Gez. khiŋjara/khiara)
*ēe,ēī/ēi/_ (aise/ēi, bwaiiskaimel/zēi"kēmel)
*(possibly other similar changes turning vowel sequences into diphthongs?)
*VV/V/_ (maybe) or /V:/_ (maybe)
VV:,V:V,V:V:,V::/V:/_
(j/i/_ in writing)