Kinuk'aaz Historical Linguistics
Proto-Kinuk'aaz underwent a large number of sound changes, most notably undergoing various vowel shifts and losing most of its diphthongs and its entire series of implosives.
Word-final mergers
At the end of a word, all ejectives merged with their plain counterparts, *q' became k and all voiced stops and affricates lengthened the preceding vowel then merged with their voiceless counterparts.
First loss of diphthongs
Diphthongs lengthened by a former word-final voiced stop or affricate turned into long monophthongs.
Vowel fronting
In many instances, the vowels *u and *o fronted to ü and ö respectively after front vowels, preferentially in closed syllables. This change was blocked by intervening vowels or intervening implosive and ejective consonants.
Long vowel shift
The long vowels *uu, *ee and *oo became üü, ii and uu respectively.
Second loss of diphthongs
The diphthong *ai merged with e.
A large number of diphthongs merged with long vowels:
- *ea, *ei, *üe, *üi, *üo, *üö, *ie and *iü all became ii
- *uü, *eo, *eö, *eü, *üu, *iö and *öo all became üü
- *ui became üü, except after a vowel, where it became vi
- *iu became üü, except word-finally, where it became iv
- *ou became uu, except word-finally, where it became ov
The vowel *u often became v next to another vowel:
- *uo, *uö, *ua and *ue became vo, vö, va and ve respectively
- *eu, *au and *öu became ev, av and öv respectively
- *ui became vi after a vowel, otherwise it became üü
- *iu became iv word-finally, otherwise it became üü
- *ou became ov word-finally, otherwise it became uu
Similarly, other rounded vowels sometimes became v next to a:
- *oa and *öa both became va
- *ao became av
The diphthongs *üa and *io both became the sequence üo, which is pronounced with a hiatus.
New diphthongs
- *ae became ai
- *aö, aü, oe, oö, and oi all became oü
- *öe and öi both became öü
Vowel lowering
High vowels generally lowered to mid vowels after the implosives *b' and *d' and the uvular q'. The long vowels *ii, *üü and *uu lowered to ai, öü and oü respectively.
Loss of implosives
The implosive stops *b' and *d' merged with their non-implosive voiced counterparts.
Nasal assimilation
Nasal consonants assimilated in place of articulation with a following consonant.
Affricate gemination
Sequences of affricates became affricates with a geminate onset.
Progressive voicing assimilation
Consonants generally took on the voicing of the following consonants.