Word evolution game

[Travis B.]

All voiced sibilants are devoiced.

[i ɕǿ çɑ̂: xé θǿ]
I lyö hyâ he thö

[i tí kɑ̂: ɕé sɔ̰̂:]
I ti kâ ye sộn

[i xtsɑ́ vi tsɔ́ ɕǿ]
I htsá vi tsọ yö

[Rounin Ryuuji]

Transposition and lenition of preconsonantal [x]:

[i ɕǿ çɑ̂: xé θǿ]
I lyö hyâ he thö

[i tí kɑ̂: ɕé sɔ̰̂:]
I ti kâ ye sộn

[i tsjɑ́ vi tsɔ́ ɕǿ]
I htsá vi tsọ yö

[Zju]

Tonal shift:

[i˧ ɕø˥ çɑ:˩ xe˥ θø˥]
I lyö hyâ he thö

[i˧ ti˥ kɑ:˩ ɕe˥ sɔ̰:˩]
I ti kâ ye sộn

[i˧ tsjɑ˥ vi˧ tsɔ˥ ɕø˥]
I htsá vi tsọ yö

[Rounin Ryuuji]

Tones are lost, leaving behind the following traces:

• High-level tone causes an open syllable to be closed by the corresponding semivowel
• Mid-level tone triggers voicing of voiceless consonants
• Low-level tone causes a yod [j] to intrude at the beginning of a syllable

[i ɕøw çjɑ: xej θøw]
I shöu hyâ hei thöu

[i di kjɑ: ɕej sjɔ̰:]
I di kyâ shei syôn

[i tsjɑɾ vi tsɔw ɕøw]
I tsyar vi tsou shöu

[foxcatdog]

Chainshift of *ej > *i > *je
[je ɕøw çjɑ: xi θøw]
I shöu hyâ hei thöu

[je dje kjɑ: ɕi sjɔ̰:]
I di kyâ shei syôn

[je tsjɑɾ vje tsɔw ɕøw]
I tsyar vi tsou shöu

[Rounin Ryuuji]

Palatalisation — [ç(j) d(j) x(j) s(j) ts(j) k(j) vj] > [ɕ ɟʑ ç ɕ cɕ c ʝ]:

[je ɕøw ɕɑ: çi θøw]
Ye sheu shā hi theu

[je ɟʑe cɑ: ɕi ɕɔ̰:]
Ye zhe kyā shi shōn

[je cɕɑɾ ʝe tsɔw ɕøw]
Ye char ghi tsou sheu

[foxcatdog]

*ɕ becomes retroflex in the context of back voweols
[je ɕøw ʂɑ: çi θøw]
Ye sheu shā hi theu

[je ɟʑe cɑ: ɕi ʂɔ̰:]
Ye zhe kyā shi shōn

[je tʂɑɾ ʝe tsɔw ɕøw]
Ye char ghi tsou sheu

Quite a change from.
[na lý sɛ́r ku.tí tsý]
[na kú kɛ́r.ju mí sɔ̃́n]
[o vý.tá vu tɔ́ ný]

[Rounin Ryuuji]

[ɔw øw] > [ou iou]:

[je ɕiou ʂɑ: çi θiou]
Ye shiou shā hi thou

[je ɟʑe cɑ: ɕi ʂɔ̰:]
Ye zhe kyā shi shōn

[je tʂɑɾ ʝe tsou ɕiou]
Ye char ghi tsou shiou

Quite a change...

Yes, I suppose it is, and yet we're still going.

[foxcatdog]

Chainshift of *c > *k > *ʔ through you only see the first element here
[je ɕiou ʂɑ: çi θiou]
Ye shiou shā hi thou

[je ɟʑe kɑ: ɕi ʂɔ̰:]
Ye zhe kyā shi shōn

[je tʂɑɾ ʝe tsou ɕiou]
Ye char ghi tsou shiou

Quite a change...

Yes, I suppose it is, and yet we're still going.

Hopefully we stop by the next page.

[Rounin Ryuuji]

Progressive fortition — voiced stops, fricatives, and affricates devoice, and their voiceless counterparts become aspirated:

[je ɕʰiou ʂʰɑ: çʰi θʰiou]
Ye shiou shā hi thou

[je cɕe kʰɑ: ɕʰi ʂʰɔ̰:]
Ye zhe kyā shi shōn

[je tʂʰɑɾ çe tsʰou ɕʰiou]
Ye char ghi tsou shiou

[foxcatdog]

Nasal vowels break to lower + higher diphthongs after aspirates.

[je ɕʰiou ʂʰɑ: çʰi θʰiou]
Ye shiou shā hi thou

[je cɕe kʰɑ: ɕʰi ʂʰao:]
Ye zhe kyā shi shōn

[je tʂʰɑɾ çe tsʰou ɕʰiou]
Ye char ghi tsou shiou

[Rounin Ryuuji]

[θʰ] > [tʰ]:

[je ɕʰiou ʂʰɑ: çʰi tʰiou]
Ye shiou shā hi tiou

[je cɕe kʰɑ: ɕʰi ʂʰao:]
Ye zhe kā shi shaō

[je tʂʰɑɾ çe tsʰou ɕʰiou]
Ye char ghi tsou shiou

[Travis B.]

I think we should ban aspirated fricatives. (Yes, they are known to occur IRL, but very, very rarely.)

[foxcatdog]

I think we should ban aspirated fricatives. (Yes, they are known to occur IRL, but very, very rarely.)

Banning is too harsh. But Rounin Ryuuji's palatals are definitely getting out of hand.

Anyways:
Palatal aspirates deaspirate
[je ɕiou ʂʰɑ: çi tʰiou]
Ye shiou shā hi tiou

[je cɕe kʰɑ: ɕi ʂʰao:]
Ye zhe kā shi shaō

[je tʂʰɑɾ çe tsʰou ɕiou]
Ye char ghi tsou shiou

[Rounin Ryuuji]

I think we should ban aspirated fricatives. (Yes, they are known to occur IRL, but very, very rarely.)

Banning is too harsh. But Rounin Ryuuji's palatals are definitely getting out of hand.

I didn't actually know they were particularly rare, though I was aware they weren't particularly common (I also imagined somebody would collapse the distinction, or use it as setup for a chain shift). I find [ʂʰ] and [ɕʰ] pretty all right as far as pronunciation, though [s̪ʰ] and [s̺ʰ] are both kind-of awkward (though [tsʰ] is all right, probably because the stop being part of it makes it easier). Well, I suppose I can say I've learnt something new today.

Anyway, let's fix things — remaining aspirated fricatives fortify to affricates:

[je ɕiou ʈʂʰɑ: çi tʰiou]
Ye shiou chā hi tiou

[je cɕe kʰɑ: ɕi ʈʂʰao:]
Ye zhe kā shi shaō

[je tʂʰɑɾ çe tsʰou ɕiou]
Ye char ghi tsou shiou

[Travis B.]

To me, palatals are far more common than aspirated fricatives. That said, alveolopalatals are not the only kind of shibilant, and using alveolopalatals all the time is overdoing it, and as for non-sibilant palatal fricatives, they seem not be all that common compared to how frequently they have been showing here.

[foxcatdog]

To me, palatals are far more common than aspirated fricatives. That said, alveolopalatals are not the only kind of shibilant, and using alveolopalatals all the time is overdoing it, and as for non-sibilant palatal fricatives, they seem not be all that common compared to how frequently they have been showing here.

We call it the Rounin Ryuuji effect.

[foxcatdog]

*ç > *ʝ > *ɲ
[je ɕiou ʈʂʰɑ: ɲi tʰiou]
Ye shiou chā hi tiou

[je cɕe kʰɑ: ɕi ʈʂʰao:]
Ye zhe kā shi shaō

[je tʂʰɑɾ ɲe tsʰou ɕiou]
Ye char ghi tsou shiou

[Rounin Ryuuji]

[j ɕ] merge to [ç]:

[çe çiou ʈʂʰɑ: ɲi tʰiou]
Hye hiou chā ni tiou

[çe cçe kʰɑ: çi ʈʂʰao:]
Hye zhe kā hi chaō

[çe tʂʰɑɾ ɲe tsʰou çiou]
Hye char nye tsou hiou

[foxcatdog]

*cç > *cʎ̝̊ > *ʎ̝̊

[çe çiou ʈʂʰɑ: ɲi tʰiou]
Hye hiou chā ni tiou

[çe ʎ̝̊e kʰɑ: çi ʈʂʰao:]
Hye zhe kā hi chaō

[çe tʂʰɑɾ ɲe tsʰou çiou]
Hye char nye tsou hiou