<!>Interesting features thread (2014-11-25 13:26:14)
Interesting features thread
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? dhok posts: 235
, Alkali Metal, Norman, United States
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Modern Quazian has a ten-vowel system split into front (/i e æ y ø/) and back (/ɯ ɤ ɑ u o/) vowels. A single word can switch vowel classes as part of its inflectional routine, like so:

ŋakka "word (nom.)"
ŋäkkää "word (acc.)"

where Classical Quazian had ŋak'a and ŋak'a ja; later the accusative clitic ja merged with the preceding word and the -j- deleted, turning the preceding vowel into a front vowel. Since the penult was stressed, this affected the entire word. Similarly:

väʻi "hand (nom.)"
vaʻuu "hand (instr.)"

The Classical Quazian instrumental clitic hu became a case-ending; when -h- dropped out after a penultimate vowel, it backened the entire word, if front.