Linguistics Encyclopedia.pdf

[ ] noche
[ ] ocho
[ ] dicho
‘night’ [nokturnál] ‘nocturnal’
‘eight’ [oktagonál] ‘octagonal’
‘said’ [diktaθjón] ‘dictation’
There is an alternation among these related words between but no apparent
motivation for a change such as , while, on the other hand would not
be unexpected. The [k] was pulled forward into the palatal zone by anticipation of [t]
(assimilation) to become [j] and then the [t] was palatalized by the preceding [j], i.e.
.
We can now reconstruct the forms in [tj] as [kt].
*nókte
*ókto
*díkto
A-Z 287
The undeciphered ancient Iberian language of Spain’s Mediterranean coasts, known only
from inscriptions and so far related to no other language, contains the following lexical
forms:
baite baikar
baiti bainybar
baitolo baiturane
Since the sequences kar and -nybar appear in other words, they are assumed to be
separate morphemes, compare balkar, antalskar.
This suggests an alternation between bait and bai, in which the forms (allomorphs)
occur as follows:
bai + consonant
bait + vowel
or
bai > bait/__vowel
We are now in a position to reconstruct baikar as an earlier form of *baitkar,
*baitnybar, baitturane.
The reduction of the sequences *[-tk-] to [-k-], *[tn] > [n], [tt] > [t], is in accordance
with the phonotactics of Iberian, which does not display sequences of plosive plus
consonant as part of the language.
The results of this method of internal reconstruction are not verifiable, however,
unless corroborating evidence can be found. In this case, we note that Basque has a form
bait which, when combined with -gare becomes baikare, similarly, bait-nago > bainago,
bait-du > baitu avoiding sequences alien to Basque and suggesting an affiliation between
the two languages.