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Vegliot Sound Changes
Vegliot was the language of the Dalmatian island Veglia, now Krk,
belonging to the Republic of Croacia. The last remains of Vegliot died
with its last speaker Tuone Udaina in 1898. I've begun reconstructing
this Romance language by using the meagre remains most of which have
been recorded and published in 1906 by Matteo Bartoli.
Vegliot is eastern Romance in character but shows many western Romance
features as well. It is, similar to Tuscany across the Adriatic Sea,
just south-east of the transitional zone from western to eastern
Romance. It was in contact with the Venetian and Istrian dialects of
Italian, some Standard Italian, as well as Friulian, Istroromanian,
Slovenian, Croatian and to a lesser extent German. The vowel system is
western Romance in base and the consonant system is, characteristically
of eastern Romance, conservative.
Here a list of sound changes.
Classical Latin vowel system:
i: i e: e a: a o o: u u:
Western Vulgar Latin vowel system:
i é è a ò ó u
(here I'm using é and ó of VL for the close sounds and è and ò for the
open sounds. Phonemic transcription are otherwise made in // and SAMPA).
This was the vowel system found in Rome which then spread to other areas
of the Empire. This 'Italian quantity system' has the following
geographical range: mid-Italy and the northerly part of southern Italy,
northern Italy, Dalmatia, Istria, Alpine Romance, Galloromance and
Iberoromance. The Rumanian, Sardinian and African vowel system already
differed in the Vulgar Latin period.
The Western Vulgar Latin system developed further into the various
individual Romance vowel systems.
On the Isle of Veglia the development was as follows:
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1.) Vowels in Stressed Syllables:
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I.) VL i (CL i:)
a) in open syllable: /ai/
Examples:
DICO daic /daik/ "I say"
RIPA ráipa /'raipa/ "riverbank"
DORMITU dormáit (m) /dOr'mait/ "fallen asleep"
VINU vain /vain/ "wine"
REGINA rezaina /re'dzaina/ "queen"
Before /r/ of the infinitive endings there is often secondary
monophthongisation of /ai/ to /E/:
DORMIRE dormér /dOr'mEr/ "to sleep"
b) in closed syllable: /E/
FILIA fegla /'fELa/ "daughter"
CINQUE cenc /tSENk/ "five"
MILLE mel /mEl/ "thousand"
----------------------------------------------------------------------
II.) VL é (CL i, CL e:)
a) in open syllables: /ai/
NIVE nai /nai/ "snow"
PILU pail /pail/ "a hair"
PIRA páira /'paira/ "pear"
CENA cáina /'kaina/ "dinner"
VELA vail /vail/ "sail"
In absolute final position or resulting from loss in hiatus VL é becomes
/a:/:
REGE ra /ra/ [ra:] "king"
Secondary development of /n/ > /N/ in new word final position causes the
diphthong /ai/ to retract.:
SERENU sarán /sa'raN/ "serene"
It reappears in the feminine:
SERENA saráina /sa'raina/ "serene"
b) in closed syllables: /a/
MITTIT mat /mat/ "s/he sends"
ILLE jal /jal/ "he"
ILLE el /El/ "the" (m)
ILLA jala /'jala/ "she"
ILLA la /la/ "the" (f)
CAPILLU *capál /ka'pal/ "head of hair"
LIGNU lan /laN/ "wood"
PISCE pasc /pask/ "fish"
VIRDE *vart (m) /vart/ "green"
STELLA stala /stala/ "star"
VENDERE vandro /'vandrO/ "to sell"
ESCA *ásca /'aska/ "bait"
CRESCERE crascro /'kraskrO/ "to grow (up)"
----------------------------------------------------------------------
III.) VL è (CL e, ae)
a) in open syllables: /i/
PEDE pi /pi/ [pi:] "foot"
PETRA pítra /'pitra/ "stone"
METERE mítro /'mitrO/ "to mow, harvest"
FELE *fil /fil/ "gall-bladder"
MELE mil /mil/ "honey"
BENE bin /biN/ "well"
CAELU cil /tSil/ "sky, heaven"
PRAEDA prida /'prida/ "catch"
b) in closed syllables: /iá/ (falling diphthong)
FERRU fiar /fiar/ "iron"
HERBA járba /'jarba/ "grass, plants"
PELLE pial /piál/ "skin, leather"
SEPTE siápto /'siáptO/ "seven"
MERDA miárda /'miárda/ "shit"
FESTA fiásta /'fiásta/ "feast, party"
CENTU ciant /tSant/ "hundred"
BELLU bial /biál/ "beautiful" (m)
BELLA biála /'biála/ "beautiful" (f)
----------------------------------------------------------------------
IV.) VL a (CL a:, a)
a) in open syllables the outcome is twofold: Originally VL a devolpes
regulary into /uo/. When the syllable has been closed after secondary
changes the diphthong retracts to /u/. It sometimes remains in words
that predominantly carry sentence stress. If the syllable remains open
/uo/ is retained. The diphthong /uo/ is neither rising nor falling. It
can be described as suspended with both elemnts pronounced with equal
intensity. Native speakers usually perceive this as a long version of
/u/, rarely as a true diphthong:
TATA tuota /'tuota/ "father"
MARE muor /muor/, /mur/ "sea"
PLACET pluc /pluk/ "it pleases"
VETERANU vetrún /ve'truN/ "old/ (m)
VETERANA vetruona /ve'truona/ "old" (f)
CAPUT cup /kup/ "head"
BUCCALA bocuola /bo'kuola/ "mouth"
DIURNATA zornuota /dzOr'nuota/ "day, course of a day"
CASA cuosa /'kuosa/ "house"
AMARA amuora /a'muora/ "bitter, rough"
CANE cun /kuN/ "dog"
*CANIA cuogna /'kuoJa/ "bitch"
CLAVE cluf /kluf/ "key"
CANTAMUS cantuome /can'tuome/ "we sing"
CIVITATE cituot /tSi'tuot/ "city"
cicoluota /tSikO'luota/ "chocolate"
MANDUCARE manciúr /man'tSur/ "to eat"
b) in closed syllables: /uá/
PARTE puart /puárt/ "part"
VACCA *vuac /vuák/ "cow"
PASSU puas /puás/ "step, footprint"
ARBORE juárbol /'juárbOl/ "tree"
ALBU jualb /juálb/ "white"
BARBA buárba /'buarba/ "beard"
FACTU fuat /fuát/ "made, done" (m)
CARNE cuárn /'kuárn/ "meat, flesh"
Before VL ll the accent shifted to the first element and dropped the
second element:
CABALLU cavúl /ka'vul/ "horse"
----------------------------------------------------------------------
V.) VL ò (CL o)
a) in open syllables: /u/
ROTA *ruta /'ruta/ "wheel"
NOVU nuf /nuf/ "new" (m)
NOVA *nua /'nua/ ['nu.wa] "new" (f)
POTET *put /put/ "s/he can"
NOVE nu, nuf /nu/, /nuf/ "nine"
MOLA *mula /'mula/ "millstone"
FOCU fuc /fuk/ "fire"
LOCU luc /luk/ "place, point"
CORE cur, cuor /kur/, /kuor/ "heart"
BONU bun /buN/ "good" (m)
BONA búna /'buna/ "good" (f)
b) in closed syllables: /uá/
COLLU cual /kuál/ "neck, throat"
GROSSU gruas /gruás/ "big, large, thick"
FOSSA *fuása /'fuása/ "ditch, canal"
FORTE fuart /fuárt/ "strong"
PORCU puarc /puárk/ "pig, pork, swine"
MORTE muart /muárt/ "dead" (m)
PORTA puárta /'puárta/ "door"
PORTU puart /puárt/ "harbour, port"
DORMIT duárm(i) /'duárm(i)/ "s/he sleeps"
----------------------------------------------------------------------
VI.) VL ó (CL o:, u)
a) in open syllables: /ao/
COTE caut /kaot/ "whetstone"
VOTU baut /baot/ "vote, vow"
SOLE saul /saol/ "sun"
GRATIOSU *grasáus /gra'saos/ "gracious"
RATIONE rasáun /ra'saon/ "reason, mind"
SORORE seraur /se'raor/ "sister"
CROCE crauc /kraok/ "cross"
NUCE nauc /naok/ "nut"
b) in closed syllables: /u/
FORMA furma /'fOrma/ "form, fit"
OLLA júla /'jOla/ "pot"
CORTE curt /kOrt/ "short"
COGNOSCERE conuscro /kO'nOskrO/ "know, recognise"
VULPE vulp /vOlp/ "fox"
DULCE dulc /dOlk/ "sweet, kind"
BUCCA búca /'buka/ "mouth"
FURCA fúrca /'furka/ "fork"
----------------------------------------------------------------------
VII.) VL u (CL u:)
a) in open syllables: /Oi/
LUCET loic /lOik/ "it shines"
CRUDU croit /krOit/ "rough, crude"
TU toi, to /tOi/, /tO/ "you" (sg.)
LUNA lóina /'lOina/ "moon"
UNU join /jOin/ "one, a" (m)
UNA jóina /'jOina/ "one, a" (f)
Before /r/ and /l/ /Oi/ is often realised as /O/:
DURU doir /dOir/ [dOr] "hard"
MURU moir /mOir/ [mOr] "wall"
CULU ciol /tSOl/ "arse"
b) in closed syllables: /O/
NULLIA nogla /'noLa/ "not a single, zero, any"
FUSTE fost /fOst/ "shaft, beam"
----------------------------------------------------------------------
VIII.) VL au (CL au)
/ao/
PAUCU pauc /paok/ "a little"
CAUDA cáuda /'kaoda/ "tail"
AURU jaur /jaor/ "gold"
CAUSA *cáusa /'kaosa/ "thing"
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