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2.inventories:2.2.counterparts:2.2.2.do_all_potential_counterparts_alternate

2.2.2. Do all potential counterparts alternate?

Finn. Seto Er. HMr MMr Ud. Hun. SMn SKh VKh Nga. Ka.
F/B yes no yes or no no no no yes ? no no no no
R|T no no ? no

F/B: front/back harmony
R|T: rounding, total harmony
—: not applicable

Erzya
If we consider that there is an /o/ : /e/ alternation, we could also expect an /u/ : /i/ alternation (which, instead of or in addition to the /o/ : /e/ alternation, actually exists in some dialects).   Although if we consider that the vowels /u/ and /i/ (similarly to /o/ and /e/) are not a perfect alternating pair (they differ not just in F/B, but also in rounding), we could conclude that the /u/ : /i/ alternation is impossible because they are not a good candidate for an alternating pair. However, due to the fact that /u/ is in principle prohibited in non-initial syllables, and the dialects show that the difference in rounding do not exclude the alternation between high vowels either, it seems to be more convincing to analyse /i/ and /u/ as a potential alternating pair (at least in Erzya).
2.inventories/2.2.counterparts/2.2.2.do_all_potential_counterparts_alternate.txt · Last modified: 2021-08-17 by László Fejes