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From: iad@cogsci.ed.ac.uk (Ivan A Derzhanski)
Subject: Re: Hungarian / Czecho-Slovakian
Message-ID: <D2ysn7.J82@cogsci.ed.ac.uk>
Organization: Centre for Cognitive Science, Edinburgh, UK
Date: Wed, 25 Jan 1995 14:09:05 GMT
Lines: 54

In article <rharmsen.176.00160003@knoware.nl> rharmsen@knoware.nl (Ruud Harmsen) writes:
>Is anything known about non-related but adjacent languages, that have 
>striking similarities other than in borrowed words? E.g. Czecho-Slovak
>and Hungarian share the stress on the first syllable and the distinction 
>between long and short vowels. Both are also found in Finnish, but not in
>(any?) other Slavic languages.

Not as a package.  Fixed word-initial stress is also found in Sorbian
(Upper and Lower) and vowel length in Serbo-Croat and Slovene.


In article <D2wLKA.I4C@actrix.gen.nz> "Paul J. Kriha" <kriha_p@actrix.gen.nz> writes:
>Which language are you refering to, Czech or Slovak?

Either.  Or both.

>Which Slavic language doesn't have the distinction between
>long and short vowels?

All of them except Czech, Slovak, Serbo-Croat and Slovene (and, we're told,
Polish at an older stage of its development).

>PS. There is one striking similarity between Hungarian,
>Czech, Polish, Basque and Esperanto, though.  When people speak
>their lips move!  Isn't that amazing?  It can't be a conicidence.

Don't be silly.  RH was not referring to universal features.
There aren't that many languages with fixed word-initial stress.


In article <3g38vo$dp2@nic.umass.edu> smailer@twain.oit.umass.edu (Ira Smailer) writes:
>Wow. What a striking similarity indeed. Therefore a language that 
>consistently stresses the 1st syllable is similar to one that always
>stresses the last, like French, no?

No.

>FYI, tons of languages have long and short vowels, but they are not
>always obvious to the naked eye.

Would you claim that such a distinction exists in more than half
of the languages of Europe?  I don't think it does.

>Czech, for example, uses diacritical marks. In other languages, you
>have to remember it (Russian and Latin come to mind).

Why on earth should Russian come to mind?  Where does it come in?
(Though the part about Latin is true.)

-- 
`Don't know whit ye're bletherin aboot', said Peter.    (The Glasgow Gospel)
Ivan A Derzhanski (iad@cogsci.ed.ac.uk, iad@chaos.cs.brandeis.edu)
* Centre for Cognitive Science,  2 Buccleuch Place,   Edinburgh EH8 9LW,  UK
* Cowan House E113, Pollock Halls, 18 Holyrood Pk Rd, Edinburgh EH16 5BD, UK
