The breaking of *
i is the regressive assimilation of the vowel *
i of the first syllable by the vowel of the following syllable. This phenomenon is regarded in the history of Mongolian languages as one of the main characteristics of Modern Mongolian.
In this article, the author points out some problems in the current schema of the
i-breaking of Khalkha Mongolian and in its application to Mongolian comparative studies.
Firstly, as we have confirmed in the word-initial position the regular retention of the vowel *
i before *α as
i in the Urdus, Buriat, and Kalmuck languages, the schema was applied too widely and this resulted in producing numerous exceptions.
Secondly, the current schema of
i-breaking of Khalkha Mongolian failed to distiguish and confused the two types of
i-breaking, i. e. one in which the traces of the vowel *
i can be observed and the other with-out any traces of it.
The author maintains that the two types of
i-breaking reflect the results of two different kinds of phonetic changes, on the grounds that we can observe the earlier stage of the development of the vowel *
ibefore *α in Urdus, where only one type of breaking occurred.
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