Murmur
/ɦ/ serves as a source for murmur, of which there are three rules:
| Rule | Formal1 | Casual | English | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Word-initial ɦV → V̤2 | now | ||
| bone | ||||
| 2 | əɦVnon-high → V̤non-high, more open |
easy | ||
| large | ||||
| 3 | day | |||
| 3 | ə/aɦVhigh → ə̤/ɑ̤ (glide) | stayed | ||
| very | ||||
- 1 Gujarati spelling reflects this mode. The script has no direct notation for murmur.
- 2 Rule 1 creates allomorphs for nouns. For example, /ɦəd̪/ ('limit') by itself can be, but can only be in /beɦəd̪/ ('limitless').
- 3 More open.
The table below compares declensions of the verbs ('to do') and ('to say'). The former follows the regular pattern of the stable root /kəɾ/ serving as a point for characteristic suffixations. The latter, on the other hand, is deviant and irregular in this respect.
| Infinitive | Perfective | Imperative | 1sg. Future |
|---|---|---|---|
Fortunately the situation can be explained through murmur. If to a formal or historical root of /kəɦe/ these rules are considered then predicted, explained, and made regular is the irregularity that is (romanized as kahevũ).
Thus below are the declensions of /ɦ/-possessing, murmur-eliciting root /kəɦe/, this time with the application of the murmur rules on the root shown, also to which a preceding rule must be taken into account:
- 0. A final root vowel gets deleted before a suffix starting with a non-consonant.
| Rule | Infinitive | Perfective | Imperative | 1sg. Future |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0 | ||||
| 2 | ||||
| 3 | ||||
| → |
However in the end not all instances of /ɦ/ become murmured and not all murmur comes from instances of /ɦ/.
One other predictable source for murmur is voiced aspirated stops. A clear vowel followed by a voiced aspirated stop can vary with a pair gaining murmur and losing aspiration: #VCʱ ←→ #V̤C.
Read more about this topic: Gujarati Phonology
Famous quotes containing the word murmur:
“I believe that a man is converted when first he hears the low, vast murmur of life, of human life, troubling his hitherto unconscious self.”
—D.H. (David Herbert)
“Literature transforms and intensifies ordinary language, deviates systematically from everyday speech. If you approach me at a bus stop and murmur “Thou still unravished bride of quietness,” then I am instantly aware that I am in the presence of the literary.”
—Terry Eagleton (b. 1943)
“Lord, what a thoughtless wretch was I,
To mourn, and murmur and repine,
To see the wicked placed on high,
In pride and robes of honor shine.
But oh, their end, their dreadful end,
Thy sanctuary taught me so,
On slipp’ry rocks I see them stand,
And fiery billows roll below.”
—Isaac Watts (1674–1748)