Re: Finnish KASKI

--- In cybalist@yahoogroups.com, "etherman23" <etherman23@...> wrote:

> The vowel harmony rule would then require that /a/ be a front vowel.
> The system /i u o e/ is more typologically natural than /a i u o/ and
> has the requisite rounding and frontness distinctions built in.

It may look more balanced, but I recall a study that tried to work out
(and I think failed) to work out why the asymmetric systems /i e a u/
(presumably also including /i e a o/) and /i a o u/ were much commoner
than the symmetric system /i e o u/. Unfortunately, I haven't been
able to find it again.

Richard.