Zompist Bboard Again

Don't worry, it was made quite clear in the initial post. Assuming the proto-language is a natural language like any other, why would the ideophones in that language be harder to reconsttruct than etyma of other word types? Put differently, can you say why the ideophones would be resitant to reconstruction in the proto-language?

(My interest in the matter stems from the fact I am working on a project where some emphasis is placed on both historical phonology as well as the use of expressives).

Raholeun wrote: ↑Tue Oct 05, 2021 8:01 am Don't worry, it was made quite clear in the initial post. Assuming the proto-language is a natural language like any other, why would the ideophones in that language be harder to reconsttruct than etyma of other word types? Put differently, can you say why the ideophones would be resitant to reconstruction in the proto-language?

Well, I’d expect that that (a) they would be replaced much faster than other words and (b) they wouldn’t obey the usual sound changes. But I haven’t looked into the subject at all — this is just conjecture on my part,