Re: [tied] Estimated timeframe from albanian s->sh transformation

> From: Mate Kapovic [mailto:mkapovic@...]

> There have been cases recorded. There was a case of a Swiss
> village changing /l^/ to /j/ in about 20 years or so or
> something like that. It is often cited in sociolinguistic
> literature but I can't remember the name at the moment. Or
> the case of /l/ (hard /l/) to /w/ in Polish. Piotr can say
> more. But as I hear, it was also done in a generation or two.
> Now only old people say /l/ and when they are dead the change
> will be finnished (in most dialects).
>

In Russian, it took a generation (or two) to complete /s^c^/ -> /s^:/. Now
the merger of /c^/ to that new /s^:/ is occuring. I still keep the
distinction, the same my three years old son does, if only because he has
very few contacts with his Russian-speaking peers, myself and TV producing
most of the language input.

Sergei