Talk:in-
Latest comment: 1 year ago by Erutuon in topic Latin prefix vowel lengthening rules?
Current asymmetrical pairs regarding in- vs un-[edit]
a) adjective/noun pairs: unable, inability; uncivil, incivility; unequal, inequality; unjust, injustice; unquiet, inquietude. b) un- words ending in -ed: uncompleted, incomplete; undigested, indigestible; undisciplined, indiscipline; unreconciled, irreconcilable; unredeemed, irredeemable; unseparated, inseparable (the only indisputable in- -ed word is inexperienced ) c) un- words ending in -ing: unceasing, incessant; uncomprehending, incomprehensible; undiscriminating, indiscriminate.
Latin prefix vowel lengthening rules?[edit]
About Latin Etymology 2 (Prefixation of the preposition, in-): do we know when the prefix ends up lengthened (īn-)? 2A02:1812:1126:5D00:58FC:AE30:C90B:1969 16:08, 25 December 2022 (UTC)
- It's the application of a more general rule that the combination of a vowel plus n before an s and f represented a long nasalized vowel (see Latin phonology and orthography#Vowel nasalization on Wikipedia). One piece of evidence was that the n was sometimes omitted: censor → cesor, consul → cosol, inferos → iferos. So it's the convention to add a macron to a vowel before ns or nf. The combination of vowel with macron plus n represents a long nasalized vowel, not a long vowel and then a distinct consonantal sound, [n] or [ɱ]. — Eru·tuon 17:00, 25 December 2022 (UTC)