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Contents 1 Consonant gradation 1.1 Consonant gradation of suffixes 1.2 Consonant gradation of stems 2 References 3 See also

[edit] Consonant gradation

Consonant gradation is a remnant of sound changes, which have occurred in past, but still act as morphophonologic rules in the modern grammar, even though their conditions are difficult to see in the present phonetic structure of words. See the examples below.

[edit] Consonant gradation of suffixes

Obsruents are weakened after unstressed syllables ^[1].

E.g. for the plural 2. person of imperative the suffixes are:

• -kā after a stressed syllable e.g. e̮лkā ('Be!').
• -gā after an unstressed syllable e.g. tširjottagā ('Write!').

[edit] Consonant gradation of stems

Obsruents are weakened in the beginning of closed syllables ^{[2] [3]}.

Plural and singular of the second person imperative are always in opposite grades e.g. :

• Plural: jättägā < *jättä-ka'a ('Leave (it)!'). The last syllable of the stem (tä) was open.
• Singular: jätä < *jättä-k (jätäG in Eastern Votic dialect). The last syllable of the stem (täk) was closed by an imperative suffix k.

[edit] References

[edit] See also

• Grammar of Votian dialects (syllabus)