Re: *a/*a: ablaut

--- In cybalist@yahoogroups.com, "Patrick Ryan" <proto-language@...>
wrote:

>
> Is not /a/ a central vowel?

Yes. Piotr means that /a, e, i, u/ is commoner than /a, @, i, u/, in
which the central vowel under discussion is /@/.

(Please note that we must be sparing with the use of '@' - strings
including it are often mangled in the archives to prevent e-mail
harvesting.)

Richard.

> ----- Original Message -----
> From: "Piotr Gasiorowski" <gpiotr@...>
> To: <cybalist@yahoogroups.com>
> Sent: Thursday, February 14, 2008 3:55 PM
> Subject: Re: [tied] *a/*a: ablaut

> > On 2008-02-14 22:44, Richard Wordingham wrote:

> > > Actually, it has an unusual degree of symmetry. 4 vowel systems are
> > > usually more asymmetric. For yet more examples, we have the
> > > Proto-Austronesian system of /a, e, i, u/, and the Cree system, with
> > > length contrasts, of /a, e, i, o/. Indeed the latter system seems
> > > quite widespread in Canada.

> > Yes, I mentioned the fact that /a, e, i, u/ was more widespread than
> > systems with a central vowel (auditory salience probably plays a role
> > here). Actually, such a system may be preferable for pre-PIE if one
> > takes Ockham's Razor into account.