Development
Most Proto-Samoyedic phonemes continue the corresponding Proto-Uralic phonemes unchanged. The most prominent changes are:
- PU *s, ś > PS *t, s.
- PU *δ > PS *r.
- PU *δ́' as well as PU *l in most positions > PS *j. *l remains initially before PU *ï, as well as in PS intervocalic positions.
- PU *x > PS *ø, when before a consonant.
- PU *u > PS *ø preceding a PU stem vowel *a.
- PU *ï > PS *ë in PS closed syllables.
- PU *ü > PS *i. PS *ü is of secondary origin.
- PU stem-final *i is reduced to PS *ø̈/ø (per harmony), and if not preceded by an original consonant cluster, subsequently lost.
- PU *a, o generally become PS *å, though in many cases PS *a also appears; the conditioning for this is not entirely clear.
- PU stem-final *å becomes PS *ä after a lateral consonant (PU *l or *δ́; this points to an intermediate stage *ĺ in the development of the latter.)
- PU *o remains in monosyllabic roots (both primary, and those resulting from loss of final *ø).
- PU *k, *x, *w, *j are lost between vowels in roots of the shape *CVCi, yielding monosyllabic PS roots.
- PU *k and preconsonantal *w are generally lost in medial consonant clusters.
Examples:
- PU *äjmä "needle" > PS *äjmä
- PU *kala "fish" > PS *kålä
- PU *muna "egg" > PS *mønå
- PU *weti "water" > PS *wet
- PU *nüδi "handle" > PS *nir
- PU *ïpti "hair" > PS *ëptø
- PU *täwði "full" > PS *tärø̈
- PU *mośki- "to wash" > PS *måsø-
- PU *suksi "ski" > PS *tutø
- PU *ńïxli "arrow" > PS *ńëøj
- PU *käxli "tongue" > PS *käøj
Read more about this topic: Proto-Samoyed Language
Famous quotes containing the word development:
“Good schools are schools for the development of the whole child. They seek to help children develop to their maximum their social powers and their intellectual powers, their emotional capacities, their physical powers.”
—James L. Hymes, Jr. (20th century)