Mizzytastic wrote: ↑04 Aug 2021 16:42
1) I'm looking to develop an ablaut like system of vowel gradation through historical development. I understand that it will likely involve a bunch of trial and error to find something I like and application of analogy to regularise it, but I'm unsure what sort of sound changes I should be looking for to develop those sorts of vowel quality changes while getting rid of the conditioning environment to the point where it is not obvious.
Anything that reflects one or more of:
- patterns of stress
- the vowels in nearby syllables
- adjacent consonants
To get a complex ablaut system, you need at least two conditioning variables: one to create ablaut in the first place, and then one to make the system more complicated by creating multiple verb classes (assuming you want that).
As you probably know, Germanic ablaut is underlying the result of (to simplify) pre-PIE stress alternations based on a single vowel. But you could just as easily create ablaut entirely from vowel affection. It's harder to make the core ablaut derive from adjacent consonants, because they tend not to change inflectionally inside a root (though infixation is a thing!), but they can certainly shape the development of verb classes.
Let's create an ablaut system!
1.
We'll start with three vowels: a, i, u. Let's have some verbs:
takin
sarin
tarrin
ponut
panum
fahus
gawak
salak
tafap
layir
mitay
2. The past tense is formed with -tan; the future, with -ti; plural subject is marked with -ru. The perfect is formed from the past tense plus reduplication of the initial syllable.
takin - takintan - takinti - tatakintan; takinru - takintanru - takintiru - tatakintanru
sarin - sarintan - sarinti - sasarintan ; sarinru - sarintanru - sarintiru - sasarintanru
tarrin - tarrintan - tarrinti - tatarrintan; tarrinru - tarrintanru - tarrintiru - tatarrintanru
punut - punuttan - punutti - pupunuttan; punuttru - punuttanru - punuttiru - pupunuttanru
panum - panumtan - panumti - papanumtan; panumru - panumtanru - panumtiru - papanumtanru
fahus - fahustan - fahusti - fafahustan; fahusru - fahustanru - fahustiru - fafahustanru
gawak - gawaktan - gawakti - gagawaktan; gawakru - gawaktanru - gawaktiru - gagawaktanru
salak - salaktan - salakti - sasalaktan; salakru - salaktanru - salaktiru - sasalaktanru
tafap - tafaptan - tafapti - tatafaptan; tafapru - tafaptanru - tafaptiru - tatafaptanru
layir - layirtan - layirti - lalayirtan; layirru - layirtanru - layirtiru - lalayirtanru
mitay - mitaytan - mitayti - mimitaytan; mitayru - mitaytanru - mitaytiru - mimitaytanru
3. umlaut!
tekin - tekintan - tekinti - tatekintan; tekinru - tekintonru - tekintiru - tatekintonru
serin - serintan - serinti - saserintan; serinru - serintonru - serintiru - saserintonru
terrin - terrintan - terrinti - taterrintan; terrinru - terrintonru - terrintiru - taterrintonru
punut - punuttan - punytti - pupunuttan; punuttru - punuttonru - punyttiru - pupunuttonru
ponum - ponumtan - ponymti - paponumtan; ponumru - ponumtonru - ponymtiru - paponumtonru
fohus - fohustan - fohysti - fafohustan; fohusru - fohustonru - fohystiru - fafohustonru
gawak - gawaktan - gawekti - gagawaktan; gawakru - gawaktonru - gawektiru - gagawaktonru
salak - salaktan - salekti - sasalaktan; salakru - salaktonru - salektiru - sasalaktonru
tafap - tafaptan - tafepti - tatafaptan; tafapru - tafaptanru - tafeptiru - tatafaptanru
leyir - leyirtan - leyirti - laleyirtan; leyirru - leyirtonru - leyirtiru - laleyirtonru
mitay - mitaytan - miteyti - mimitaytan; mitayru - mitaytonru - miteytiru - mimitaytonru
4: stress falls on antepenultimate syllable, unless either of last two syllables has a sonorant coda, in which case it falls on the penultimate syllable. Secondary stress every two syllables before primary. Unstressed syllables become lax: i>e, u>o, a>@. But @ assimilates to following vowel.
teken - tekint@n - tekinti - tatekint@n; tekinru - tekentonru - tekintiru - tetekentonru
seren - serint@n - serinti - saserint@n; serinru - serentonru - serintiru - seserentonru
terren - terrint@n - terrinti - taterrint@n; terrinru - terrentonru - terrintiru - teterrentonru
punot - punutt@n - punytti - pupunutt@n; punuttru - punottonru - punyttiru - popunottonru
ponom - ponumt@n - ponymti - paponumt@n; ponumru - ponomtonru - ponymtiru - poponomtonru
fohos - fohust@n - fohysti - fafohust@n; fohusru - fohostonru - fohystiru - fofohostonru
gaw@k - gawakt@n - gawekti - gagawakt@n; gawakru - gawoktonru - gawektiru - gagawoktonru
sal@k - salakt@n - salekti - sasalakt@n; salakru - saloktonru - salektiru - sasaloktonru
taf@p - tafapt@n - tafepti - tatafapt@n; tafapru - tafoptonru - tafeptiru - tatafoptonru
leyer - leyirt@n - leyirti - laleyirt@n; leyirru - leyertonru - leyirtiru - leleyertonru
mitey - mitayt@n - miteyti - mimitayt@n; mitayru - miteytonru - miteytiru - memiteytonru
5: loss of unstressed medial and final vowels; remaining @>i
teken - tekintin - tekint - tatkintin; tekinr - tekntonr - tekintir - tetekntonr
seren - serintin - serint - sasrintin; serinru - serntonr - serintir - seserntonr
terren - terrintin - terrint - tatrrintin; terrinr - terrntonr - terrintir - teterrntonr
punot - punuttin - punytt - pupnuttin; punuttr - punttonr - punyttir - popunttonr
ponom - ponumtin - ponymt - papnumtin; ponumr - ponmtonr - ponymtir - poponmtonr
fohos - fohustin - fohyst - fafhustin; fohusr - fohstonr - fohystir - fofohstonr
gawik - gawaktin - gawekt - gagwaktin; gawakr - gawktonr - gawektir - gagawktonr
salik - salaktin - salekt - saslaktin; salakr - salktonr - salektir - sasalktonr
tafip - tafaptin - tafept - tatfaptin; tafapr - tafptonr - tafeptir - tatafptonr
leyer - leyirtin - leyirt - lalyirtin; leyirr - leyrtonr - leyirtir - leleyrtonr
mitey - mitaytin - miteyt - mimtaytin; mitayr - mititonr - miteytir - memititonr
6: cluster reduction
teken - tekintin - tekint - takintin; tekinr - tekntonr - tekintir - tetekntonr
seren - serintin - serint - sarintin; serinr - serntonr - serintir - seserntonr
terren - terrintin - terrint - tarrintin; terrinr - terrntonr - terrintir - teterrntonr
punot - punutin - punyt - punutin; punutr - puntonr - punytir - popuntonr
ponom - ponuntin - ponynt - panuntin; ponumr - pontonr - ponyntir - poponmtonr
fohos - fohustin - fohyst - fafustin; fohusr - fostonr - fohystir - fofostonr
gawik - gawakin - gawekt - gagwakin; gawakr - gawtonr - gawekir - gagawkonr
salik - salakin - salekt - saslakin; salakr - saltonr - salekir - sasalkonr
tafip - tafapin - tafept - tafapin; tafapr - taftonr - tafepir - tatafponr
leyer - leyirtin - leyirt - lalirtin; leyirr - leyrtonr - leyrtir - leleyrtonr
mitey - mitaytin - miteyt - mintaytin; mitayr - mititonr - miteytir - memititonr
7: epenthetic vowels; unstressed umlaut; assimilation; loss of final vowels; loss of final -n; loss of obvious reduplicants; assimilation...
teke - tikinti - tekin - takinti; teki - tekanto - tikintir - tekanto
sere - sirinti - serin - sarinti; seri - sernto - serintir - sernto
tere - tirinti - terin - tarinti; teri - terurno - terintir - terurno
punat - punuti - punit - punuti; punuta - punto - punitir - popunto
ponam - ponunti - ponin - panunti; ponum - ponto - ponintir - ponunto
fós - fausti - foist - fustin; fausr - fosto - foistir - fofosto
gauk - gwaki - gwekt - gagwaki; gwaka - gauto - gwekir - gagauko
salik - salaki - salekt - saslaki; salaka - salto - salekir - sasalko
tafip - tafapi - tafept - tafapi; tafapa - tasto - tafepir - tafaspo
lír - lirti - lirt - lalirti; lír - lírto - lírtir - lelírto
mití - mitoiti - mitít - mintoiti; mitoir - mitito - mitítir - memitito
....and you have a complex ablaut system!