Sound-changes of Fénilar

II.2. Phonetic changes of East-Elven

II.2.1 Accent
The consequent initial accent of Fénilar led to a raising of initial vowels and a weakening of vowels in medial and final syllables. Quite often the following vowel was lost. As a consequence there was a collision of consonants, which was incompatible to the rules of Proto-Elven, and which led in turn to an assimilation.

II.2.2. Vowels
In consistency with the above we will show the development of vowels in Eastern Elven in three steps: vowels in initial syllable, vowels in medial and vowels in final syllables.

1.) Initial syllables
As was shown above, there was a raising of initial vowels in East-Elven and a monophtongisation of diphtongs.

MONOPHTONGS

Þ e; e.g.: bardwav Þ berdov (singing, song, m.); gazal Þ gerl (shining)
1. before l + consonant, the medial stage -e- further developed to -o-, e.g.: althaio Þ olthia (frost, m.)

Þ e; e.g.: árdól Þ érdul (pride, f.)

becomes i; e.g.: bewos Þ bios (thing, m.)
1. before -r- there was no change to [i]; e.g.: erdal (caring)
2. before [l] [i] was further rounded to [y]; e.g.: celda Þ cyld (happy)

accordingly becomes [i:]; e.g.: dénme Þ dínam (dreamer, m.)

stays unchanged; e.g.: ginthe Þ ginth (thought, thinking, m.)
1. in front of [r] [i] was lowered to [e]; e.g.: birca Þ berc (town, castle, m.)
2. before [l] [i] was rounded and became [y]; e.g.: ilme Þ yll (captain, m.)

in contrast to the short vowel, í was changed to [ai] (breaking); e.g.: rílim Þ raill (tone, sound, m.)
1. before consonant + [c] the breaking did not happen and the vowel became short; e.g.: dírach Þ dirch (plane, m.)

changed to [u]; e.g.: fol Þ ful (from); doral Þ durl (sticky)

Þ [u:]; e.g.: dónial Þ dúial (fleeing, fugitive)

like [i] it stayed unchanged; e.g.: unta Þ unt (bed, couch, m.)
1. + [r] it was lowered to [o]; e.g.: turil Þ torl (iron, m.)
2. before [l] the vowel was raised to [y]; e.g.: drulme Þ dryll (rivulet, m.)

was broken to [au] ; e.g.: múnian Þ mauian (I grab)

Þ [i]; e.g.: cyta Þ cit (sandy)

In words of one syllable the vowels often stayed unchanged; e.g.: ian (and, also); ac (for); but: ful (out - of)!

DIPHTONGS
ai

Þ a; e.g.: aifal Þ áfal (young); baidal Þ bádal (graceful)

Þ á; e.g.: gausath Þ gásath (stranger)

was lengthened to [e:]; e.g.: beindis Þ béndes (knowledge, m.); ddeinigh Þ ddéni (wistful)

changed to [u:] via a medial stage [iu]; e.g.: geora Þ gúr (horn, m.); eoldeth Þ últh (scout, m.).

becomes í; e.g.: siadd Þ sídd (people, m.)

2.) Medial Syllables

Vowels which followed directly after the stressed syllable were mostly lost. Examples: gazal Þ gerl (shiny); rílim Þ raill (tone, sound.); turil Þ torl (iron, m.) ); althaio Þ olthia (frost, m.).
This development was also true for previously stressed vowels; e.g.: Eleion Þ ilian (forefathers, ancestors).
Sometimes new vowels developed from liquids and nasals which became syllabic; e.g.: aifal Þ *áfl Þ áfal (young); dénme Þ dínam (dreamer, m.).

For all other cases:
a

stayed unchaged; e.g.: gausath Þ gásath; aistaddanÞ ássaddan (to turn)
1. in the combination -wa- there was a change to [o] due to the labialising force of the semi-vowel; e.g.: bardwav Þ berdov (singing, song, m.); drócwaddan Þ drúcoddan (to shorten)

e, i

Þ e; e.g.: suninilme Þ sunnill (general, m.); escelthe Þ iscelth (wagon, m.).

o, u

Þ a; e.g.: beindolach Þ béndalch (cleverness, f.)

Long vowels were shortened:

a; e.g.: tuláchis Þ tylach (those)

e, i

Þ i; e.g.: edéliaddan Þ idiliddan (to describe)

o, u

Þ u; e.g.: árdól Þ érdul (pride, f.)

Diphtongs lost their first element:

ai, ei, oi

Þ i

Þ u

Þ o; e.g.: eddeocha Þ iddoch (troup, m.)

Þ u; e.g.: slidduanin Þ sliddunan (twentiest).

3.) Final syllables
Short vowels in final syllables were lost e.g.: geora Þ gúr (horn); escelthe Þ iscelth (wagon, m.). This was also true for the most endings of declinitions; e.g.: siaddo Þ sídd (of the people).
For the developments after semi-vowels, see II.2.3.
Long vowels were shortened: á Þ a; é, í Þ i; ó, ú Þ u. Examples: georá Þ gúra; indaréch Þ indrich (hunter); celdón Þ cyldun (happiness).
Diphtonge were also reduced: ai, ei, oi Þ i; au Þ u; ia, io Þ i; ua, eo Þ u. Examples: iswais Þ isuis (hit); georau Þ gúru (partitive of geora); metroigh Þ mitri (inhonest); indareo Þ indro (of the hunter).
Nasals and liquids which became syllabic, inserted an -a- ; e.g.: ceisim Þ césam (blow, punch, m.).

II.2.3. Semi-vowels
Here we will also use the distinction between positions: initially - after consonants - between vowels.

INITIALLY
j

stayed unchanged before a,o, and was lost before e and i; e.g.: ian (and, also); iesalon Þ islan (bitterness, f.).

became [v] before a, e, i and was already early lost before [o,u]; e.g.: wargil Þ vergal (demon, m.); worto Þ urt (thicket, m.).

AFTER CONSONANTS
j

after consonants the loss of following short vowels led to a change of [j] to [i] while in front of originally long vowels it remained: gidiudd Þ gididd (ban, f.); ddiliól Þ ddyliul (gentleness, f.).
1. partially [j] united with preceding consonants: -gj, kj, gj, nj- Þ -jj- Þ -j-; e.g.: dónial Þ dúial (fugitive, fleeing); nocio Þ nuia (disaster, doom).

was vocalised in front of [e, i]; e.g.: iswais Þ isuis (hit). Before [o,u] it was lost and became [o] in the combination -wa-; e.g.: cerwos Þ ceros (fat, m.); bardwav Þ berdov (song, m.).
1. the sound [gw] became [v]; e.g.: théghwal Þ thíval (small, few).

BETWEEN VOWELS
Because of the loss of short vowels in medial syllables and in final position the semi-vowels partially remained so that new combinations of consonant plus semi-vowel developed; ; e.g.: althaio Þ olthia [olþja] (frost). In position after stressed vowels the semi-vowels built new diphtongs; e.g.: thawinól Þ *thewnól Þ theonul (wildness, m.). The following combinations occured:
a, e/i, o/u + j + V Þ ei, i, ui; e.g.: leios Þ *lijs Þ lis (sun, m.); aiucal Þ *ejcal Þ eical (on your part).
a, e/i, o/u + w + V Þ eo, io, u; e.g.: thawinól Þ theonul; bewos Þ *biws Þ bios (thing,m.).
In part [j] also remained; e.g.: eia (Gen. of ain, you).
Before new syllabic consonants both semi-vowels remained because of the epenthetic vowel; e.g. troiar Þ truiar (truthfulness, f.).
1. between originally stressed [e] and syllabic nasals and liquids, [j] was lost; e.g.: ceial (panting, gasping) Þ cial.

II.2.4. Consonants
Differently from the vowels, the consonants stayed mostly unchanged. But because of the elision of vowels in medial syllables there were many assimilatory developments. In difference to West-Elven there were also several consonant clusters which stay in contradiction to the rules of Eleiar.

PLOSIVES
p

páralon Þ pérlun (adroitness)

beindis Þ béndes (knowledge)

turil Þ torl (iron)
1. In the combination [st] the spirant assimilated the plosive; e.g.: aistaddan Þ ássaddan (to turn).

dólus Þ dúll (stem)
1. [d] and [t] were lost before [ð] and [þ]; e.g.: eoldeth Þ últh (scout, m.).

celda Þ cyld (happy)

ginthe Þ ginth (thinking)
1. In connection with [j] [g, k] were lost; e.g.: nocio Þ nuia (disaster, doom,m.).

FRIKATIVES
th

thurda Þ thord (angry)

ddeinigh Þ ddéni (wistful)

s, z

While [s] stayed unchanged, [z] genereally changed to [r] as in West-Elven; e.g.: gazal Þ gerl (shiny).
1. Final [s] remained,except in those cases were it assimilated to [r]; e.g.: béndes (knowledge), but: thures Þ thorr (we).
2. The combination [rs] also changed to [rr]; e.g.: iosra Þ iurr (blossom, f.).
3. After p, t, k [s] became [t]; e.g.: nucisigh Þ nucti (pugnacious)

ch, gh

While [ch] stayed unchanged in most positions, [g] was lost in those cases were it had remained through the times of Eleiar; e.g.: ddeinigh Þ ddéni; ceighis Þ cés (Part. perf. pf céddan, to pant [Ü ceiaddan]).

This consonant was lost in all positions; e.g.: aldahar Þ oldar (flute, f.); harma Þ erm (blood, f.).

NASALS
Nasals stayed in most cases unchanged. But they assimilated to preceding [l]; e.g.: dryll (rivulet). Syllabic [n, m] changed to -an, am-; e.g.: dénme Þ *dínm Þ dínam (dreamer). In connection with [j] the nasal was lost (s.a.). In connection wit [n, m] an assimilation of nasals occured; e.g.: lamilan Þ *lanlan Þ lallan (I will see).

LIQUIDS
These consonants also remained in most cases. But [l] assimilated following nasals; e.g.: rílim Þ raill (tone, sound). This happened also in those cases, where [l] stood behind [d, t] through the elision of vowels, which it consequently assimilated; e.g.: baedalon Þ bállan (grace, f.).

ASSIMILATIONS
By the elision of vowels in direct position after stressed syllables and of final vowels assimilations occured in the process of the reduction of consonant clusters. Examples: eoldeth Þ *úldth Þ últh; dónulfe Þ dúllfe (leprosy, m.); dreisaddan Þ dréssan to grow).