Qaqet has only four vowels – a i u ə, as opposed to Mali, Kairak and Ura, which have six vowels, including e and o. But which of these systems is the original one? There are two possible scenarios. Either Proto-Baining had a vowel system like Qaqet, and Mali, Kairak and Ura developed the additional vowels later on. Or Proto-Baining had the six-vowel system, and Qaqet lost e and o.
To answer that question, we look at words containing the relevant sounds. There are some listed in the table below. Can you guess which scenario is probable?
| Mali | Ura | Kairak | Qaqet | Proto-Baining (see solution) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| nes ‘bite’ | nes ‘bite’ | nes ‘bite’ | nis ‘bite’ | 1 |
| aqepki ‘spear’ | qepka ‘throwing spear’ | qepka ‘spear, arrow’ | qipka ‘spear’ | 2 |
| tes ‘call by name’ | tes ‘call’ | tes ‘read’ | tis ‘call out, say’ | 3 |
| aiska ‘road’ | iska ‘road, path’ | iska ‘road, path’ | 4 | |
| ngi ‘you (sg.)’ | nyi ‘you (sg.)’ | nyi ‘you (sg.)’ | nyi ‘you (sg.)’ | 5 |