Any languages show h > j?
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- Sanci
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Any languages show h > j?
Hi all,
Do we know of any languages that have changed a previous *h to j (for example before front vowels)?
Do we know of any languages that have changed a previous *h to j (for example before front vowels)?
Re: Any languages show h > j?
English? (huge, human are pronounced yuge, yuman by some people.)
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- Sanci
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Re: Any languages show h > j?
Very interesting and a good point. Although I guess more commonly the analysis would be that the vowel became a falling diphthong and the h was dropped?
- KathTheDragon
- Smeric
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Re: Any languages show h > j?
Given that those words do have /hj/ for people who don't drop the h, yes, I'd wager that a direct change h > j isn't the case here.
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- Lebom
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Re: Any languages show h > j?
h > j was reconstructed as a change in the development of some Khoisan languages, IIRC.
Re: Any languages show h > j?
Livonian: *h > j between a front vowel and any other vowel, e.g. lejā 'meat' ~ Finnish & Estonian liha.
[ˌʔaɪsəˈpʰɻ̊ʷoʊpɪɫ ˈʔæɫkəɦɔɫ]
Re: Any languages show h > j?
Coptic apparently has x > š unconditionally, or at least as best we know given Egyptian phonology. It may have even been h>š. That's t least halfway by itself, and I think in uncodnitional
Š>j is reasonable.
Š>j is reasonable.
Sunàqʷa the Sea Lamprey says:
Re: Any languages show h > j?
How likely is it that that was actually lehā > leā > lejā?Tropylium wrote:Livonian: *h > j between a front vowel and any other vowel, e.g. lejā 'meat' ~ Finnish & Estonian liha.
Dibotahamdn duthma jallni agaynni ra hgitn lakrhmi.
Amuhawr jalla vowa vta hlakrhi hdm duthmi xaja.
Irdro. Irdro. Irdro. Irdro. Irdro. Irdro. Irdro.
Amuhawr jalla vowa vta hlakrhi hdm duthmi xaja.
Irdro. Irdro. Irdro. Irdro. Irdro. Irdro. Irdro.
Re: Any languages show h > j?
Not strictly ruled out, but that would make it the only case in Livonian where something is either lost or epenthesized intervocalically.Travis B. wrote:How likely is it that that was actually lehā > leā > lejā?Tropylium wrote:Livonian: *h > j between a front vowel and any other vowel, e.g. lejā 'meat' ~ Finnish & Estonian liha.
[ˌʔaɪsəˈpʰɻ̊ʷoʊpɪɫ ˈʔæɫkəɦɔɫ]
Re: Any languages show h > j?
I was thinking about phonemic alternations in Korean and Spanish the other day and musing that it would be fun to have a language where /ð/ (whether from original /d/ or not) devoices to [θ] finally (cf. Castilian Madriz) and is either lost medially or becomes [j] to avoid hiatus (cf. Finnish). Final [θ] could debuccalise and you'd end up with a [j] ~ [h] alternation.
- Nortaneous
- Sumerul
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Re: Any languages show h > j?
Aside from Khoisan:
27.5 Proto-Mayan to Kaqchikel-Tz’utujil h → j / _#
29.1.1.1.27 Proto-Western Southern Athabaskan to Navajo {ɣ,h} → j / in prefixes related to word derivation
27.5 Proto-Mayan to Kaqchikel-Tz’utujil h → j / _#
29.1.1.1.27 Proto-Western Southern Athabaskan to Navajo {ɣ,h} → j / in prefixes related to word derivation
Siöö jandeng raiglin zåbei tandiüłåd;
nää džunnfin kukuch vklaivei sivei tåd.
Chei. Chei. Chei. Chei. Chei. Chei. Chei.
nää džunnfin kukuch vklaivei sivei tåd.
Chei. Chei. Chei. Chei. Chei. Chei. Chei.