Vowel harmony and consonantal mutations: view article

Okhri vowel harmony is horizontal, with aperture harmonization, unlike Turkic and Finnic vowel harmonies that are vertical with a harmonization in point of articulation and/or rounding. It is better understood diachronically.

In the Middle Okhri stage, the vowel harmony was almost fully functional, with the exception of /ao̯ ~ ɑː/ that stood alone, as it had not yet simplified to a single vowel like /eu̯/ had earlier, shifting to /ʌ/. Some later modifications in the vocalic system of the language lead to some simplification of the harmony.

First, we can notice that /ao̯ ~ ɑː/ shifted to /ɐː/, which is still out of harmony. /æ/ also came out of harmony as it merged with /a ~ ɑ/ into /ɐ/ (harmonizing is now entirely regular). /ʌ/ merged into /o/ and both are now spelled <o>, causing /e/ to switch its harmony group (former harmony: e>ʌ; new harmony: e>o). The same phenomenon occurred higher with the merging of /ɯ/ into /u/, except that the spelling was retained: nowadays, both <ë> and <u> are /u/ and the harmony is retained graphically, albeit not phonetically.

Upon reading the second chart, mind the change in orthography: <y,yy> /y,yː/ are nowadays written as <ü,y> /y,yː/, which can result in some confusion.

Whole words don't necessarily obey vowel harmony. Vowel harmony affects paradigms so that the ending adapts to the last vowel of the root depending on its harmony. It can also affect compounding, amongst other things.

In practice, vowel harmony can apply in three ways:

— reciprocal harmony: the reciprocal vowel will apply to the ending;

i > ë
ü > u
y > uu
e,ö > o
ë > i
u > ü
uu > y
o > e
a,aa > a

— triangular harmony: a dummy vowel V (represented by <-> in Okhri spelling) has a <i>, <u> or <a> output depending on harmony;

(e,ö,ü,y,i) = i
(o,ë,u,uu) = u
a = a

— pure harmony: the last vowel is reused

i > i
ü > ü
y > y
e > o
ö > ö
ë > ë
u > u
uu > uu
o > o
a,aa > a

Note that reproducing vowel length in harmony is becoming obsolete in younger generations.

Different paradigms or affixes may apply either harmony. Examples from the masculine root zhibü /fjy/, ”cat”, are provided below [sort].

-shp-r, an adjectival ending denoting a quality, applies pure harmony.

zhibüshpür /fjypʰyɾ/, ”swift”.

-g-ng, an adjectival ending equivalent to ”-like”, applies reciprocal harmony.

zhibügung /fjyhʊŋk/, ”cat-like”.

-r-ng-, the INSInstrumental (case)
'with', 'using' marker, applies triangular harmony.

zhibüringi /fjyɾɪŋgɪ/, ”with cat”.

Harmony may distinguish between seemingly identical affixes. For example, -shpVrᴾ is the affix mentioned above, whereas -shpVrᵀ is the DATDative (case)
indirect object; recipient, beneficiary, location marker, with zhibüshpir /fjypʰɪɾ/ meaning ”for cat”.

Paradigms can also vary depending on genders [add examples for each gender].

Finally, some paradigms are immune to harmonization [examples].

[top]Consonantal mutations

There are five types of consonantal mutations. I glossed them the best I could.

— softening (VCVoicing (phonology)
voicing)

n,l > l
p > b
t > d
k > g
th > dh
s > z
sh,zh > h

— fronting (↑)

n > m
p,b > u
th,dh > ∅
k,g > t,d
t,d > p,b
s,z,sh,zh > th,dh
l > r

— h-bound (↓)

k,g,s,z > h
th,dh > sh,zh
t,d > th,dh
m,n,r,l > hm,hn,hl,hr

— nasal (NASMNasal mutation (phonology)
mutation)

k,g,sh,zh > h
t,d,s,z,l,r > nt,nd,nz,nz,nl,nr
p,b,m,n > mb,mb,mm,nn
h > hn

— prothetic (›)

m,n > tm,pn
p,b > shp
t,d > kt,gd
k,g > nk,ng
s,z,sh,zh > ts,dz,tsh,dzh
th,dh > kth,gdh

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