Ühest edelaläänemeresoome fonoloogilisest ühisuuendusest: prevokalisatsioon eesti ja liivi murretes [A common phonological innovation in south-western Finnic languages: prevocalization in Estonian and Livonian dialects]

Abstract

This article deals with the phonological innovation or complex of innovations in south-western Finnic languages referred to as prevocalization. The phenomenon has previously been described as epenthetic palatalization or metathesis. This study provides an overview of several phenomena related to prevocalization in Estonian and Livonian dialects. In these dialects, prevocalization is usually related to prepalatalization, which is used to emphasize the secondary articulation of the consonant. It is often accompanied by the depalatalization of the consonant and an insertion of a prevowel before the consonant. An allophonic prevowel (i or e ) refers to the palatalization of a triggering consonant. It can develop into a diphthongal off -glide and thus become phonemic, in which case the following consonant is depalatalized. The probable causes of prevocalization are prosodic changes involving syncope and apocope, and changes in the consonant quality, such as depalatalization. Contacts with neighbouring languages and developments promoting internal balance in the sound system of languages may also have had an influence on prevocalization.

Keywords

phonology, prevocalization, depalatalization, Estonian, Livonian