--- In
cybalist@yahoogroups.com, Miguel Carrasquer <mcv@...> wrote:
> OK. So if I understand correctly the i- and u-stem endings
> -ìms and -ùms come from -íms and -úms?
Phonologically, they *are* /-íms/)and /-úms/ (still -ìmus and -ùmus
in Old Lithuanian). The phonological acute (whatever be its
phonetical manifestation, which is highly dialect- or even idiolect-
dependent) is still there and is exactly the same as in /ém/, /ám/
etc. It's the unfortunate notational convention (trying to emphasize
the shortness of the vowel in Standard Lithuanian (but not in the
dialects) rather than anything having to do with pitch accent) that
seems to mislead you. One shouldn't forget that it's a long vowel
*or* a diphthong (vocalic or liquid) that is the domain of the
Lithuanian pitch accent, not just a long vowel, as you seem to imply,
so a stressed -VRC just can't but bear a pitch accent independently
of the phonetic quantuty of the vowel.
The vowel in /ém/, /ám/ is (semi-)long even in the standard language:
that's why -- and not because of any (pitch-)accentual differences --
the notational convention adopted the acute mark here. We've been
over that before.
Sergei