Newsgroups: sci.lang
Path: cantaloupe.srv.cs.cmu.edu!das-news2.harvard.edu!news2.near.net!news.mathworks.com!news.duke.edu!convex!cs.utexas.edu!howland.reston.ans.net!EU.net!sun4nl!mcv
From: mcv@inter.NL.net (Miguel Carrasquer)
Subject: Re: Iberian palatal and dental-palatal fricatives
Message-ID: <CyC5nE.5r9@inter.NL.net>
Organization: NLnet
References: <38lsh8$gvr@agate.berkeley.edu>
Date: Thu, 27 Oct 1994 14:30:49 GMT
Lines: 72

In article <38lsh8$gvr@agate.berkeley.edu>,
Jacob (Coby) Lubliner <coby@euler.Berkeley.EDU> wrote:
>I am trying to trace the evolution of palatal and dental-palatal
>fricatives, and their spellings, in the principal Iberian languages
>(Catalan, Basque, Castilian and Galician-Portuguese).
>
>It is my impression that in the Middle Ages they were represented
>as follows:
>     [S] was represented by <x> (which could also represent [ks]
>and [gz]), except that in Catalan when <x> (representing [S]) was
>at the end of a syllable and followed a vowel other than <i>, a
>(silent?) <i> was inserted, e.g. baix, mateix (fem. baxa, matexa);

The i was not silent originally.  I still pronounce it, as a
Western Catalan speaker (Lleida province): [baiS], [baiSE].
In Eastern Catalan, the <i> *is* silent.

>     [Z] was represented by <j> (<g> before <e> or <i>);
>     [tS] was represented by <ch> in Castilian and Galician-
>Portuguese, by <tx> in Basque and Catalan, except that Catalan used
><ig> at the end of a word;
>     [dZ] (Catalan only) was represented by <tj> (<tg> before <e>
>or <i>).
>
>The orthographic scheme seems to remain unchanged in Basque, and
>largely so in Catalan, except that the inserted <i> is no longer
>limited to <x> syllable final (baixa, mateixa).  
>
>Phonetic changes in Catalan vary with region.  There seem to be no
>changes in Mallorca, while in central Valencia all four sounds have
>become /tS/ ("apitxat").  In Eastern Catalonia, many a [S] and [Z]
>has become /tS/ and /dZ/, respectively, especially when at the 
>beginning of a phrase or following a consonant.  In Barcelona,
>moreover, [dZ] is sometimes pronounced /tS/.

In Western Catalan, initial x- and j-/g- are always prounced
[tS] and [dZ], as they are after a nasal.

The shibboleth "setze jutges d'un jutjat mengen fetge d'un penjat"
("16 judges of a court, eat liver from a hanged person", if you want
to know) is pronunced:

East:
/sEdz@ ZudZ@s dun ZudZat menZ@n fedZ@ dum p@nZat/
West:
/sedze dZudZes dun dZudZat mendZen fedZe dum pendZat/
Apitxat:
/setse tSutSes dun tSutSat mentSen fetSe dum pentSat/

>
>In Castilian both [S] and [Z] evolved into [x] or [h], spelled <j>,
>leaving <x> free to represent [ks] or [gz] only.  Judaeo-Castilian
>("Ladino") retains the original sounds.
>
>In Galician [Z] changed to [S], with spelling changed accordingly
>(xunta).
>
>In Portuguese (except in Northern Portugal?) [tS] changed to [S],
>but <ch> spelling remains.  Moreover, syllable-final [s] and [z]
>are palatalized in Portugal and Rio de Janeiro (not elsewhere in
>Brazil).
>
>I would appreciate additions and corrections, as well as
>information about Aragonese and Asturian.

I think I've got some info on Aragonese but I'll have
to get back to you on that (can't seem to find it now).

-- 
Miguel Carrasquer         ____________________  ~~~
Amsterdam                [                  ||]~  
mcv@inter.NL.net         ce .sig n'est pas une .cig 
