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2.inventories:2.2.counterparts:2.2.6.blocked_alternations

2.2.6. Blocked alternations

The following table shows the number of potentially alternating counterparts which do not alternate because both of them are/​one of them is prohibited (or at least strongly discouraged) in non-initial syllables. The number in the paranthesis shows the number of the potentially alternating but practically non-alternating pairs if short and long vowels are counted separately.

Finn. Seto Er. HMr MMr Ud. Hun. SMn SKh VKh Nga. Ka.
F/B 0 1 (5) complicated 2 1 2 0 ? 3 0 1 4
R|T 1 2 (3) ? 1

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

Seto
/i/ : /ɨ/ is a potential alternating pair but /ɨ/ is prohibited in non-intitial syllables; all long vowels are prohibited in non-initial syllables
Erzya
First of all, it can be questioned whether /u/ : / i/ is a potential alternation (see §2.2.2). If we consider that it is, the restriction on /u/ and that on /i/ are different. The vowel /u/ is practically prohibited in non-initial syllables and it never occurs in suffixes. Although the vowel /i/ is similarly rare in non-initial syllables, it occurs in suffixes, especially in verbal ones.  
Hill Mari
 Rounded vowels are prohibited in non-inital syllables.
Meadow Mari
Rounded vowels are practically prohibited in non-initial syllables, [ø] and [o] occur in word-final position due to rounding (and F/B) harmony as allophonic alternants of /ə̆/.  The alternation [e] : [ø] occurs in the same position. However, phonemic /e/ does not alternate due to VH.
Udmurt
All rounded vowels but /o/ are prohibited in non-initial syllables (/o/ is quite frequent even in suffixes).  
Hungarian
Rounding harmony: Only short mid rounded vowel /ø/ alternates with high unrounded vowel /ɛ/, although they do not form a potential alternating pair due to the difference in height (cf. §2.2.4.). High and long vowels do not undergo rounding harmony (there are no alternations /i/ : /y/, /iː/ : /yː/, /eː/ : /øː/), although any of these vowels can occur in non-initial syllables (at least in Standard Hungarian as it is reflected by orthography).
Southern Khanty
Rounded vowels are prohibited in non-initial syllables.
Vakh/Vasyugan Khanty
Although practically all rounded vowels are prohibited in non-initial syllables, alternations /o/ : /ø/  and /ø̆/ : /ŏ/ occur in one suffix, respectively. However, because in both suffixes the alternating vowels are followed by /ɣ/, it is questionable whether these are the rounded vowel phonemes or just rounded allophones of non-rounded ones. The latter assumption is especially problematic in the case of  the /o/ : /ø/ alternation, since full /e/ has no back counterpart. Moreover, non-alternating /u/ occurs in one suffix, but non-alternatin /y/ never occurs. (Cf. §2.2.2.)
Nganasan
There could be an /e/ : /o/ alternation due to quasi-rounding harmony and /e/ : /ɘ/ alternation due to F/B harmony, but  /e/ and /o/ are practically prohibited in non-initial syllables and they never occur in suffixes.
Kamas
Rounded vowel phonemes are practically prohibited in non-initial syllables (or at least in suffixes), although rounded allophones of the reduced vowel /ə̆/ (= /ĭ/ and/or /ɑ̆/) occur due to full harmony.
2.inventories/2.2.counterparts/2.2.6.blocked_alternations.txt · Last modified: 2021-08-17 by László Fejes