Phonology
The rest of Ai's phonology isn't particularly interesting. Ai has a typical LP phonemic inventory consisting of seven consonants, with no nasals or liquids:
/b t d k ɡ/
/s h/
By far the rarest of these is /ɡ/, although it forms a couple of minimal pairs with all other consonants. The voiced plosives tend to be slightly implosive word-initially, especially /b/, which is characteristic of LP. /h/ may become labial [ɸ] especially in the vicinity of back vowels.
The vowel system is the standard 5 cardinal vowels, although with a tendency towards low-mid rather than high-mid vowels:
/i u/
/ɛ ɔ/
/a/
A number of diphthongs occur, namely /ai̯ au̯ ɛi̯ ɛu̯ ɔi̯ ɔu̯/, as well as triphthongs (at least /u̯ɛi̯ u̯ai̯/, possibly others). Before a vowel, low-tone /i u/ become [j w], but where tone processes make this vowel high it regains its syllabicity. Long vowels occur on the surface, but as I mentioned before these are best analysed as two syllables for tone distribution.
Syllable structure is maximally CVd, where
C is any consonant,
V is any vowel, diphthong or triphthong and
d is /d/ (who'd of guessed?). In non-initial position /b d ɡ/ are lenided to [β ɾ ɣ], which includes in the coda (although /d.d/ becomes [ɾ.d]). Before the coda, /ɛ ɔ/ are raised to [e o]. Note than unlike in Obokuitai, but as in Sikaritai, coda /d/ can occur following any vowel (although it's disproportionately common after high vowels).
(I'm thinking of losing the coda and adding in /i̝ u̝/ <i’ u’>, but I'm still on the fence about it)
Historical phonology
Ai is a member of the East Tariku (ET) branch of the LP languages, alongside Doutai, Kai, Waritai, Biritai, Obokuitai and Sikaritai.
Proto-Lakes Plain (PLP for short) had a very normal, unremarkable consonant inventory, reconstructed by Duane Clouse:
*/p b t d k/
Clouse notes that */j w/ may have existed, but only ever occur as allophones of /i u/ in descendants and were likely also allophonic in PLP. The vowels were almost certainly the cardinal vowels:
*/i u e o a/
Although there's a good change /e o/ were actually low-mid. Many descendants show a tendency to switch /i/ and /u/, both diachronically and synchronically, especially in word-final position; to a much lesser extent the same goes for /e/ and /o/. Also a lot of variation between /d/ and /t/; with more research these might prove to be regular developments.
Syllable structure was (C)(d)V. Closed syllables definitely occurred at
some early stage of LP, but their typological weirdness¹ suggests that they were a secondary formation, probably from earlier *CVCV → *CVC; this means that a lot of PLP terms are reconstructed with an unidentifiable *CV at the end.
There was definitely some kind of tone system at play as well (definitely H, L, likely HL, LH as well), but this is currently unreconstructable.
Proto-Tariku (PT) underwent a number of phonological changes; due to the nature of the material it's hard to derive any consistent rules, but changes include:
- *d becomes */ɾ/ intervocalically or in C2 position, but not over a morpheme boundary
- *t split into */s/ either allophonically or phonemically, most likely from the sequence *ti
- *p definitely gained a fricated allophone *[ɸ], possibly even all the way to *[h]. This may have only been intervocalic at first
- Final vowels may have been lost; at any rate some kind of coda consonants were innovated
Proto-East Tariku (PET) likely underwent some further changes. These are very difficult to define²; instead I'll just move on to the changes I've added for Ai. Bear in mind that these rules won't always apply very consistently, and given the level to which PLP has been reconstructed it would be unrealistic if they did; these are just some of the general tendencies.
- All reflexes of *p in any position are debuccalised to /h/
- /s/ becomes fully phonemic, probably supplemented through borrowing
- Onsets of the form *CɾV insert an echo vowel, with subsequent loss of /ɾ/, creating like vowel sequences
- *b d~ɾ are generally lost intervocalically, sometimes *t as well
- *k voices to /ɡ/ intervocalically and sometimes word-initially; sometimes *t voices to /d/ as well
- All codas become /d/, sometimes raising the preceding vowel
Here's a short comparative vocabulary chart between Ai and the other LP languages, taken from Clouse and supplemented by whatever other sources I could get my hands on:
Code: Select all
Ai English PLP Obokuitai Sikaritai Doutai Abawiri Edopi Kirikiri Duvle Iau
ked ant *keCV tódud kig tgadi --- ê ke --- e⁵
hóó arrow *poka hóu písa su’da obi hou ɸou --- fav⁵
badu bad --- asaikedi puriako pdu kou auai ɸei toɣou fe⁷be⁴
ákúíd ballsack *kudiCV a-kuid awíd --- --- tou kwi’ --- tef⁷⁻⁸
kííd banana *kdiCV kdíd kíd kdi’ kraryi kidi, oi kdi’ kdi’ oe⁷
du bird †du du du dù dúke ?desi otu du ɸu’da du³si⁷
kád black *kVCa kid kigje ki’ tukare hede ko-we gobe fe⁹de⁹
behud blow *pudV bohudo kepíg bopudu --- boitai uwa --- fai⁵
hii body hair *kdV a-kdi udi kasu tori tòua kdu’ ekdi su³
abáid bone --- a-baid ?akad sobogu kre i ki’ ke-di-a i⁸
tóud breast *touCV tóud tó wei’a --- tue tu do tui⁷
díé cassowary *diadi kú --- kû fiare dai dei koβiso dai³
tebií child *tau-bdi tèi(d) túé tebi dèbi sàu ti sokdi’ so⁶
akouddé chin *kuaukadi a-boud'adi aweapid weku’ --- bobe kwawa --- baui⁴
atúd cock *tiuCV a-tud --- --- --- tuda tu’ --- sui⁹
dád dog †dabi dàu súá dâi’ die debe dabi ɸedi da⁷
bad dull *baCu abditu ?apuid ouku’ kyu ?ba-wei maku-we ouku bo⁸be⁷
ákúádi eye *kudatiCV au apatíg uda àryu hede kda gadi fe⁶
áid father †aite ái awag bǎi’ ayite aua ai aitie a⁴
kuái fire *kudaide ku(d)e kúré kwde dou be kue bo be⁸
bó firewood *bodi --- --- bo bu bodi bo --- boi⁸
dé fish *tie tè ded te tīe hia ɸia te fi⁹
kúai fly (n.) *kubadi kuáde kwápu du’adi bribri badi kuadi feia gadi bai⁸
ato foot †to a-to ató --- rakre ada tou’wa --- e⁸
a go/walk *kidia do tigwá/keé sa fì ja ki’a da/tou i⁹
saa grab *tiadado doud do do --- detedi ɸdike sese fui⁸
kuei hear *kuedi kuedi kúe bgodu ate jebedi beika bou/bei bi⁸bay⁵
kúái house *kuadV kuedi kwá kwadi ou uda kua boɣoia ui⁸
i 1SG †a/i i i i a a a e a⁹
túúd ironwood --- tokoud túóg du’i sȳure bidi dí’ pdiya fy³
haa land *pdV hda igjé pda sòri kua ɸda pia a⁵
kíí leech †kíbí kíbí kébí --- túbì ?aau ki kabi ki⁵
ahií leg †pdia a-híd apiá gadu ebri obe ɸa ɸdia tai⁷
kueid long †kuedeCV kuedid kwed kwedi’ fròku behebei ude-we ɸdaɣa be⁸
híí louse *pdi hdi prí pdi --- ?doou ɸdi pdi i⁶bv⁹
táá meat *tV a-kda atá --- wori ?taa do odidi ta⁹
so kad moon --- só awedta sádô frāre ?badadedi kda-ko βdisa bai³ (da⁹ki³)
u mosquito *tide u ú du’(g)wi’ tere te te bidadu te⁸
id mother --- óid awed odua ǎi ja ia i’sa/ayo a⁶ty⁹
akué mouth *kukadV a-kue awé wêbó yabrei bu bodakwadi odaɣa by⁹
adia nail *pV a-dia ?aped e-dia ?weriebi ho edia-ɸo --- oi⁷⁻⁸ fo⁸
akoo neck *kukdo a-kdotei --- godi rakai hua kokai goudaɣai ae⁹
áhóusid nose --- a-hodusid apod bodu’ gwēbi todo ɸaisia βdi goide to⁶
kaid one †kekV(CV) kode-kekaid ?kgig keiki kíài busu-we suo-we sɣoye bi⁷si⁹
kuai path *kuadi kuéi kwákad kwai eigwre bada kuadi ioɣoia be⁶
té person †tai tá tró tai dȳi te te oide te⁷
díd pig †dida id, did díg i’ sō di si’e di’da to⁸
sid piss *tiCi sid'de sig si’ --- si (badie)ti --- si⁹
béd rain *kudide sebeid wa priwa --- dù bi ui ɸeya bi⁸
bekid scrape *kiCi bekdid'de bgiju --- fwà idia kdia --- i³
bua search --- akueseido akasidju bdei’ bro, ādri butetai boka didado bv⁸ tai⁷
adíd seed †atiCV atíd atig ebi’ --- hede kua ede fe⁶
hai shit *pade hade pade padi syu ha ɸa --- fa⁹
udso sit *pupu behid ugsód wei bworyu baua boko dedi/dodu bau⁴ de⁸
ahid skin *pidi a-sai aped basi’ gujekare idi ɸi’e abasi i⁸
dihed split --- kdi-do- piro --- gyu dukadi kuda/ɸikda zai du⁶ki⁹
gasaid stand *dia-dau kuite-adid ugtá kou yuta bidadi di’ade tou ui⁷⁻³
akud stomach *kudia aud awiá ówi/ai’ woru tao tau odi ai⁴
kuíd stone *kuipade kuíd wíd wi’ foi biho ɸai peki’ fe³ki⁹
besuu suck *tau betudu botuwo bosudu --- --- sa dia tui⁵
so sun *tio sukuid sejá kodu ?gwari su to ?βeiɾ bai³ (o³tu⁷ bv⁹)
átíd tail *tiCa a-tid atíg ?ekiyai wèi si (tài) ɸuo eɣai si⁹ tae⁶
kue thorn *kude kudei kure kêi’ fwrē bè kue ɸde be⁵
abiid tooth *bdi a-bdid apid ebdi’ wei bidi udi ebidi bi⁴
kúd tree †kuda kud kúg kú’ yure u du uda u⁸
tiá two †tia tio betíá tiba ta bodo-bei odo-we teye bo⁴
kuu vomit *kadudu kdud'de kuúdówa ku doa --- u-badi u i-edi u⁸ toe⁵
díd water *deida ádíd wá wadi die ida da de y⁷
é 1PL *ai e, ai a a e e e a y⁸
bááde wide --- --- sgapia sa sore tetodadi --- odiɸua ba⁴bo⁷
áud wing *auCo a-daud asóod bidako --- ape --- bidaɣai o⁷ki⁹
di 2SG *de di di --- du di de do di⁹
dé 2PL †da dai dad --- de --- --- da da⁹
This provides a nice example of a four-way minimal pair for tone:
kúái "house" (H) ~
kuai "path" (L) ~
kúai "fly" (HL) ~
kuái "fire" (LH).
¹ i.e. Where they do occur in present-day LP languages, they're only voiced obstruents, which is an odd class to have as the only codas. Except Iau, which only has /f/ in the coda, because Iau's built different.
² Clouse says that PET was the most conservative of the Tariku languages, noting that "One minor difference is that PT *
tiV is retained in a very few instances in east Tariku languages (on numbers), except in Sikaritai where it has been completely replaced by
sV."