jeff_l
(Jeff_L)
#1
208 4 Nominal and pronominal morphology
In the primary PI melody, the Η component is biased toward u
rather than i when the input Sg has a full V. While a lexical i in the Sg is
retained in the PI if combined with H, any other full, nonprefixal V in a
nonfinal syllable within the Sg stem appears as u in the PI. The exception is
that we get i instead of u by dissimilation to an immediately following w
(§4.1.2.13 below). Of course, Η combines with any short V {ae a} to give a,
there being no rounded short V.
Intriguingly, the PI prefix -i- is also a Η vowel, and one might take it as the
combination of the Sg prefix (e.g. -a-) plus the Η of the ablaut melody. I do
not favor this analysis, since we get PI -i- even with otherwise unablauted
plurals. Furthermore, we get PI -i- even when the Sg prefix consists of a short
V (-0B-/-3-), so we would need an χ formative in addition to melodic H.
Omitting the PI prefix -i-, the melody combines with various Sg
shapes to produce the attested surface vocalic sequences (using the «...»
notation) in (185). There are others that are phonologically possible (i.e. that
respect the melody), but unattested because there happens to be no Sg of the
relevant type that takes an unsuffixed ablaut PI.
(185) Stem-Vowel Sequences in Unsuffixed Ablaut Plurals
stem
a «L»
«α»
b. «H L»
«u α»
«3 α»
c. «Η Η L»
«u 9 α»
«a u α»
<o 9 α»
d. «Η Η HL»
<o 3 u α»
«3 3 3 α»
As noted above, nouns without vocalic prefixes (most of which are
borrowings) generally do not take unsuffixed ablaut plurals. One exception is
aelzahil 'ignorant one', PI alzuhal (T-ka). This is deceptive, however.
Although PI alzuhal has the "correct" melody, it is actually borrowed
directly from Arabic (in parallel with the Sg). Arabic has Sg al-jaahil- and
ablauted PI al-juhhaal-.
