A sketch of a typology of phonological changes at the word level

Vol.63,No.2(2015)

Aleš Bičan Lenka Bičanová

Stable URL (handle):
http://hdl.handle.net/11222.digilib/134487

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Abstract
The paper proposes a typology of phonological modifications of words in juxtaposition. The changes the phonological form of a word can undergo are sorted 1) according to their nature, 2) according to their direction, and 3) according to their complexity. In the first case the following types are distinguished: transformational assimilative changes (one segment changes to another, and the change is synchronically phonologically motivated), transformational suppletive changes (in this case the motivation is hard to find), reductive changes (a segment is lost), additive changes (a segment is added), and fusional changes (two adjacent segments merge to another). In the second case these types are recognized: progressive changes (out of two juxtaposed segments A and B, it is the latter that changes), regressive changes (A is changed), and reciprocal changes (both A and B are changed). In the third case we distinguish simple changes (single segments change), and complex changes (segment groups change). A combination of these criteria provides one possible typology, which is in turn illustrated on sandhi in Sanskrit and mutations in insular Celtic languages. The typology offers a way these diverse languages can be mutually compared. In both language groups transformational assimilative changes prevail over the other types. In Sanskrit these changes are regressive, whereas in the Celtic languages they are progressive. Reductive changes are more typical for Sanskrit, and additive changes for the Celtic languages. Fusional changes are attested for Sanskrit, but only for Welsh in the case of the Celtic languages. A similar comparison can be produced for other languages with phonological changes at the word level.

Keywords:
Celtic; Sanskrit; Indo-Aryan; typology; sandhi; mutation

Pages:
7–25
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