Word evolution game

[Rounin Ryuuji]

Epinthesis:

蛙杝
cheredihi
[t͡ɕé̞.ɾə̀.dí.çì]
"red maple"

This kind-of brings the word full-circle.

We started from:

蛙杝
kyaradeki
[c͡çʰi̯ɐ̞́.ɾ̪ɐ̞̀.^n̪d̪é̞ˑ.c͡çʰì]
"red maple"

...of which this could easily be a much more direct descendant, but we got there through loads of dissimilation, epinthesis, diphthong-smoothing, and other roundabout ways.

Edit: In "proper" Imishimé, by what I estimate the time depth to be, the word would probably be this:

蛙杝
charedhéġe
[tʃʰɐ̞́.ɾ̪ɘ̀.ðé̞ˑ.ʒɘ̀~tʃʰɐ̞́.ɾ̪ɘ̀.ðê̞ːʒ]

[foxcatdog]

['wam.ta.ʃe]
wamtaxe
“otter”

[Travis B.]

Coda nasals are elided and preceding vowels are nasalized and undergo compensatory lengthening.

['wãː.ta.ʃe]
wamtaxe
“otter”

[Rounin Ryuuji]

Posttonic short vowels reduce:

['wãː.tə.ʃe]
wamtashe
“otter”

[Zju]

w → ∅ / #_

['ãː.tə.ʃe]
aⁿteshé
“otter; mustelid”

[Rounin Ryuuji]

Nasalisation lost:

['aː.tə.ʃe]
āteshé
“otter; mustelid”

[Man in Space]

Schwa assimilation

['aː.te.ʃe]
āteshé
“otter; mustelid”

[Rounin Ryuuji]

Loss of terminal vowels with compensatory lengthening:

['aː.teːʃ]
ātēsh
“otter; mustelid”

[Man in Space]

Intervocalic arrr, matey:

['aː.reːʃ]
ātēsh
“otter; mustelid”

[Rounin Ryuuji]

Long vowels become sequences of vowel + resonant:

['ar.rejʃ]
arreysh
“otter; mustelid”

[Darren]

Fortition of double /r/

['ad.dejʃ]
arreysh
“otter; mustelid”

[Rounin Ryuuji]

Anticipatory lowering:

['ad.dajʃ]
addaysh
“otter; mustelid”

[foxcatdog]

['ad.dajʃ]
addaysh
“otter; mustelid”

Quite different from ['mã.ta:]

[Man in Space]

Gemination > aspiration:

['a.dʱajʃ]
addaysh
“otter; mustelid”

[Darren]

Diphthong hardening

[ˈa.dʱakʃ]
addaysh
“water snake”

[Man in Space]

Weakening of unstressed vowels

[ˈa.dʱɐkʃ]
addaysh
“coral reef snake”

[Rounin Ryuuji]

Aspirates fricativise:

[ˈa.ðɐkʃ]
adhaksh
“coral reef snake”

[Man in Space]

Intervocalic dental fricatives (and following unstressed vowels) are lost:

[ˈakʃ]
adhaksh
“coral reef snake”

[Rounin Ryuuji]

Epinthesis:

[ˈa.kɨʃ]
akysh
"small reptile; (literary or dialectal) snake, serpent"

[Man in Space]

Height assimilation:

[ˈɨ.kɨʃ]
ykysh
"small reptile; (literary or dialectal) snake, serpent"