Page:An introduction to Indonesian linguistics, being four essays.djvu/304

 172. All the cases of diphthongization mentioned in the preceding paragraph occur as a rule only when the original vowel, from which the diphthong has proceeded, was a final. This phenomenon runs parallel with the fact that the Original IN diphthongs aw, ay, and uy also appear only as finals. Only in certain languages of Borneo are vowels closed by consonants also sometimes turned into diphthongs, thus in Dali and in Long Kiput, hence Dali laiiayt, "sky" < Original IN laṅit and Long Kiput pulawt, "gum" < Original IN pulut.

173. Diphthongization may also be the result of various other phonetic processes. Such processes are:

I. Vocalization of consonants, in Lampong. e.g., ikuy, "tail" < Original IN ikur2.

II. Reduction of vowels that originally belonged to two distinct words, as in Bangkalan saybu, "a thousand" < sa + ebu.

III. Reduction of vowels after the droping out of a consonant, as in Hova fay, "ray (fish)" < Original IN par2i.

174. When originally simple vowels are turned into diphthongs, as in Tiruray taley, "rope" < tali, the process of diphthongization must have been preceded by length of the vowel; from § 77 we know that final vowels are often long.

175. As stated in § 76, syllables coming before the accentuated syllable are very seldom long, and similarly diphthongs very rarely occur before the accentuated syllable. In a few Sanskrit loan-words beginning with s, Lampong has the diphthong ay in that position, as in saygara, "sea" < Sansk. sāgara.

176. I know of no case of the pĕpĕt turning into a diphthong. After what has been said in § 40, I, there can be no question of the diphthongization of Original IN e or o.