Phonology

Consonants

Vowels

Historical Change

Proto-Lemdžœsi had the same vowel system as Modern-Lemdžœsi, just with /ɯ/ instead of /ə/.

There were four sound changes between Proto-Lemdžœsi and Modern-Lemdžœsi.

(C = consonant, V = vowel, E = front vowel, O = back vowel)

1. Intervocalic lenition of voiced plosives

   • [b, d, g,] → [v, z, ɣ] / V_V

2. Iotation

   • Stage 1: C → Cʲ / _E (Excluding ʍ, l, j, and r)

   • Stage 2: ʍʲ → ʍ; lʲ → l; rʲ → r; jʲ → j; wʲ → ɥ; nʲ → ɲ; tʲ → t͡ʃ; dʲ → d͡ʒ; sʲ → ʃ; zʲ → ʒ; kʲ → c; gʲ → ɟ; xʲ → ç; ɣʲ → ʝ

3. Development of front-back vowel harmony

   • [ɯ, u, a, o] → [i, y, e, ø] / #(C)E

   • [i, y, e, ø] → [ɯ, u, a, o] / #(C)O

4. Reduction of /ɯ/

   • ɯ → ə