Morphophonology
Noun roots in the Permic languages are predominantly monosyllabic and invariable with the canonical shape (C)VC. CV roots, such as Udmurt ву /vu/, Komi ва /va/ "water", and (C)VCC roots, such as Udmurt урт /urt/, Komi орт /ort/ "soul", exist as well. In Udmurt, there are furthermore a number of bisyllabic roots, mostly of the shape (C)VCɨ.
In noun roots with certain final clusters, the second consonant surfaces only when followed with a vowel in inflected or derived forms :
| Full cluster | Shortens to | Example |
|---|---|---|
| -nm- | -n | сьин /sʲin/ "eye" |
| -pt- | -p | |
| -kt- | -k | кык /kɨk/ "2" |
| -sk- | -s | мус /mus/ "liver" |
| -ʃk- | -ʃ | мыш /mɨʃ/ "back" |
Udmurt has similar alternation for a number of other clusters of the shape voiced consonant+/m/, while Komi-Zyrian adds a number of clusters of the shape voiced consonant+/j/.
The verb root for "to come": Udmurt лыкты- /lɨktɨ-/, Komi локты- /loktɨ-/ also shows alternation to plain /k/ in e.g. the imperative (in Udmurt only dialectally).
Read more about this topic: Permic Languages