On Mechanisms and Sources of Permian Denasalization

This article reconsiders existing theories about the mechanisms of Permian denasalization, specifically the simplification of inlaut proto-Finno-Ugric clusters of the type “nasal + consonant or affricate,” which led to the emergence of voiced consonants and affricates in the Permian proto-language (*mp > *-b, *nt > *d, *ŋk > *g, *nč > *ǯ, *ńć > *ʒ ́ ). Permian denasalization is a phenomenon linking Permian and Hungarian languages and distinguishing them from other Finno-Ugric languages (such as the development of a system of voiced consonants, sequential reduction of auslaut vowels, and parallels in morphology and vocabulary). Therefore, understanding the nature, mechanisms, and timing of Permian denasalization is important for addressing issues in Permian and Hungarian prehistory. The article demonstrates that the widely accepted earlier explanations (V. Lytkin, K. Rédei, V. Kelmakov, S. Csúcs), which connect this phenomenon to the Permian apocope (the loss of the final vowel in old two-syllable stems and subsequent reduction of the auslaut), do not account for the full range of facts and reveal internal inconsistencies. It is shown that the prevailing view–that the appearance of voiced consonant stops in Proto-Permian followed the spread of inline voiced consonants resulting from denasalization–is chronologically problematic. The occurrence of voiced consonant stops should be considered a fairly early independent phenomenon that developed in Proto-Permian, influenced by Iranian languages. To explain Permian denasalization, the article draws on M. Zhivlov’s idea of a shift in Proto-Permian stress from the first syllable to subsequent syllables, causing the first syllables of old stems to fall into a weak position in terms of rhythmic consonant gradation, as described by E. Helimski. This explanation aligns with the characteristics of Permian denasalization (such as weakening of the first element of the cluster, as in rhythmic gradation, and the absence of denasalization between the second and third syllables) and finds parallels in the phonetic phenomena of the Ossetian language (such as stress shift from the first syllable to the second and beyond).