How do marginal phonemes emerge? Case studies from minor Finnic varieties

Abstract The article studies marginal phonemes and their development in several moribund Finnic varieties: Vaipooli Votic, Soikkola and Lower Luga Ingrian, and Siberian Ingrian Finnish. The six examples discussed show that the mechanisms behind the emergence of marginal phonemes are different. Nevertheless, the development of marginal phonemes is usually triggered by a phonetic change that distorts the original phonetic contexts, and it results from morphophonological processes in only one case. Language contact can play an auxiliary role in the development of marginal phonemes. Generally, marginal phonemes represent a transitional stage either in the formation of new phonemes or in the extinction of existing ones, but non-linear developments are also possible.