Dan. initial nasals vanished before stops; [{mnŋ}{bdg}-] > [ø{bdg}-]
According to the Comparative Tables, initial combinations of nasals with voiced stops reduced to simple voiced stops (PE19/20). There are two examples of this development in The Etymologies: Dan. golda < ᴹ√ÑGOLOD (Ety/ÑGOLOD) and Oss. Dior < ᴹ✶ndeuro (EtyAC/NDEW), though Tolkien later decided this second example was actually Ilkorin. There were similar changes in Noldorin and Ilkorin. In the case of the cluster [ŋgw-], the resulting [gw-] further reduced to [w-], indicating that the loss of the nasal probably happened before initial [g] was lost before [w].
Phonetic Rule Elements
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✧ PE19/20 (mb- > b); PE19/20 (mb- > b) |
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✧ PE19/20 (nd- > d); PE19/20 (nd- > d) |
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✧ PE19/20 (ŋg- > g); PE19/20 (ŋg- > g) |
Phonetic Rule Examples
ndeniθǭr > deniθǭr | nd- > d- | ᴹ√DAN > Dan. Denethor | ✧ Ety/DAN |
ndeur > deur | nd- > d- | ᴹ✶ndeuro > Oss. Dior | ✧ EtyAC/NDEW |
ŋg- > g- | ŋg- > g- | ᴹ✶ŋgj- > Dan. g | ✧ PE19/20 |
ŋg- > g- | ŋg- > g- | ᴹ✶ŋgj- > ED. g | ✧ PE19/20 |
ŋgolda > golda | ŋg- > g- | ᴹ√ÑGÓLOD > Dan. golda | ✧ Ety/ÑGOLOD |
ŋgw- > gw- | ŋg- > g- | ᴹ✶ŋgw- > Dan. w- | ✧ PE19/20 |
ŋgw- > gw- | ŋg- > g- | ᴹ✶ŋgw- > ED. w- | ✧ PE19/20 |