Help with developing complex stress system

Ahzoh · Post by **Ahzoh** » Wed Feb 10, 2021 8:57 pm

I want to create a stress system where:
a) the last syllable is stressed if it is a heavy syllable not preceded by another heavy syllable or a superheavy syllable not preceded by another superheavy syllable
b) the first syllable is stressed if it followed entirely by light syllables
c) elsewise stress is placed on the heaviest non-final syllable
A summary of what this looks like below:

More: show

Now I'm wondering how I can achieve that from a stress-initial language whose syllable structure is only V, CV, V̄, CV̄, VC, CVC and doesn't allow vowel hiatus.

I'd also remark that the vowels with a circumflex V̂ are the result of vowel coalescence from the weak consonants /w j ʡ~ʕ ʔ ħ h/<w y ċ c ḥ h> eliding intervocalically, word-finally, and word-initially (except /w j/ are kept word-initially). In coda position or as the second member of a consonant cluster, they just lengthen the preceding vowel (although /aj aw/ tend to become /e:~i: u:/).

Example words before the stress change and syncope of post/pre-tonic vowels:

Strong:
*kásan-ū "accepts (f.sg.)"
*kásan-um "accept (f.pl.)"
*kásan(a)n-ū "that ... accepts (f.sg.subj)
*ná-kasan-ū "will accept (fut.f.sg.)"

Initial-Weak:
*wáṣiḫ-ī "is faithful (m.sg.)"
*wáṣiḫ-im "is faithful (m.pl.)"
*wáṣiḫ(i)ḫ-ī "that ... is faithful (m.sg.subj)
*ná-waṣiḫ-ī "will be faithful (fut.m.sg.)"

Medial-Weak:
*ṣácab-ū "kills"
*ṣácab-um "kill"
*ṣácab(a)b-ū "that ... kills"
*ná-ṣacab-ū "will kill"

Final-Weak:
*málay-ū "takes"
*málay-um "take"
*málay(a)y-ū "that ... takes"
*ná-malay-ū "will take"

*ḫakar-a "dog (f.sg.)" > *ḫakar-∅ (in construct state)
*ḫakar-an "dogs (f.pl.)" > *ḫakar-ā (in construct state)

*máziy-a "sea (f.sg.)" > *máziy-∅ (in construct state)
*máziy-an "seas (f.pl.)" > *máziy-ā (in construct state)

*nízuḥ-e "excuse, buttocks (m.sg.)" > *nízuḥ-∅ (in construct state)
*nízuḥ-en "excuses, buttocks (m.pl.)" > *nízuḥ-ē (in construct state)

Rounin Ryuuji · Post by **Rounin Ryuuji** » Wed Feb 10, 2021 11:21 pm

Ahzoh wrote: ↑Wed Feb 10, 2021 8:57 pm I want to create a stress system where:
More: show
a) the last syllable is stressed if it is a heavy syllable not preceded by another heavy syllable or a superheavy syllable not preceded by another superheavy syllable
b) the first syllable is stressed if it followed entirely by light syllables
c) elsewise stress is placed on the heaviest non-final syllable
A summary of what this looks like below:

Light (L):
V, CV
Heavy (H):
V̄, CV̄, VC, CVC
Superheavy (S):
V̂, CV̂, V̄C, CV̄C, V̂C, CV̂C

Final:
(L/)L/H́
(L/)L/Ś
(L/)H/Ś
(H/)L/Ś
(H/)H/Ś
Penultimate:
L/H́/L
L/H́/H
H/H́/H
H/Ś/H
Prepenultimate:
H́/L/H
Ś/L/S
Ś/H/S
Anteprepenultimate etc.
H́/L/L/H
Ś/L/L/S
Ś/H/H/S
Initial:
Ĺ(/L)
H́(/L)
Ś(/L)
Now I'm wondering how I can achieve that from a stress-initial language whose syllable structure is only V, CV, V̄, CV̄, VC, CVC and doesn't allow vowel hiatus.

Well, to begin, what is very precedented (with English included) is that inflection can cause the stress to shift, think record (noun, pronounciation spelling reckerd, approximately ['ɹɛk.ə(ɹ)d]) vs. record (verb, pronunciation spelling recorde, approximately [ɹɪ'kɔː(ɹ)d]). You have quite a number of inflected forms, it seems, so beginning there —

*kásan-ū > *kasáːnuː > *kasáːnu

You can also have the heaviest syllable in a word "drag" the stress to itself, such that:

*kásan-ū > *kasanúː

If you want a shorter word, delete the vowel furthest from the stress in the latter case, or the terminal vowel in the former, possibly with u-mutation to add a little irregularity:

*kasáːnu > *kasóːnu > *kasóːn

Or

*kasanúː > *ksanúː

I'd also remark that the vowels with a circumflex V̂ are the result of vowel coalescence from the weak consonants /w j ʡ~ʕ ʔ ħ h/<w y ċ c ḥ h> eliding intervocalically, word-finally, and word-initially (except /w j/ are kept word-initially). In coda position or as the second member of a consonant cluster, they just lengthen the preceding vowel (although /aj aw/ tend to become /e:~i: u:/).

Even better — an overlong vowel could easily pull stress to itself:

*wáṣiḫ-ī > *waṣíːː

This can also resolve itself by "distributing" the vowel weight, if you prefer the overlong vowel to go the way of the dodo in the end:

*waṣíːː > *wáːṣiː

You have also this example:

*wáṣiḫ(i)ḫ-ī > *waṣíːḫiː

If we leave one consonant in there, to make sure you don't get a teramoraic vowel, then distribute the weight, we get:

*wáːṣiḫiː > waːṣíːː (possibly closer to */wa'ṣiːj/?)

Or simply delete the *iḫ:

*wáː.ṣiː

And if you end up with a sort-of double long thing at the end, that can also be interesting (perhaps productive of an overheavy syllable?):

*málay-ū > *maléːuː > [/i]*maléːu[/i]~[/i]*maléːw[/i] > *maléːv~malíːv (if you don't want it too diphthongal)

When you already have something ending in a consonant not likely to be deleted, you have yet another heavy syllable already:

*ḫakar-∅ > *akár

Just some ideas to hopefully get you started, at least.

Ahzoh · Post by **Ahzoh** » Thu Feb 11, 2021 12:05 am

I had come up with:

More: show

Some of them are more of a straightforward matter of post-tonic syncope, others I feel more iffy about, like the shape of the future tense patterns as well as what I want to do about geminated weak consonants.

Also <ḫ> is a velar fricative and not one of the weak consonants.

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Help with developing complex stress system

Help with developing complex stress system

Re: Help with developing complex stress system

Re: Help with developing complex stress system