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| `myùebyijin /ʱmʲɨʱbʲiɟiɴ/ - my mouth, ergative | | `myùebyijin /ʱmʲɨʱbʲiɟiɴ/ - my mouth, ergative |
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| =====Prediction of Floating Phonation=====
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| As a rule, whether or not a noun has floating phonation cannot be
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| predicted. The only time when it is possible to do so is for absolutive nouns,
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| if, in the ergative form, the first vowel loses its
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| breathy or tense phonation and becomes modally voiced. In this case, the rules
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| are given below:
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| ======Sonorant Initial Stem======
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| If the
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| absolutive stem begins with a sonorant (nasal or approximant), and that
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| sonorant becomes devoiced when the vowel after it acquires modal voice in the
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| ergative form, then there is only ever modal floating phonation before it in both cases e.g.
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| màao /mɜʱː/ - betel nut, absolutive
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| pmaagin /pmaːgiɴ/ - betel nut, ergative
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| myimàao /mʲimɜʱː/ - my betel nut, absolutive
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| Otherwise,
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| if a word begins with a sonorant, then it always has floating phonation that is the same as that on the first vowel e.g.
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| 'máláeyáae /ˤmaˤlɛˤjɛːˤ/ - manners, absolutive
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| maleyooetun /malejɘːtuɴ/ - manners, ergative
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| 'myéymáláeyáae /ˤmʲeiˤmaˤlɛˤjɛːˤ/ - my manners, absolutive
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| ======Stem starts with /s/======
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| If the absolutive
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| stem begins with /s/, it can never have tense floating phonation
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| e.g.
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| sásaechin /saˤsɛciɴ/ - stab wound, absolutive
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| myisásaechin /mʲisaˤsaɛciɴ/ - my stab wound, absolutive
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| In the case
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| of absolutive nouns with breathy voice on the first vowel, if, in the ergative
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| form, the initial /s/ becomes voiced /z/, then the word has breathy floating phonation e.g.
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| `sàomùe /ʱsɜʱmɨʱ/ - (major) wife, absolutive
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| zamibyin /zamibʲiɴ/ - (major) wife, ergative
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| `myùesàomùe /ʱmʲɨʱsɜʱmɨʱ/ - my (major) wife, absolutive (not *myisàomùe)
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| But if, in
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| the ergative form, the first vowel acquires modal voice but the initial
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| consonant stays as voiceless /s/, then in both the absolutive form and the ergative, there is floating modal phonation e.g.
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| sàopyùe /sɜʱpʲɨʱ/ - speech (as in words, not a formal speech), absolutive
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| sabyishin /sabʲiçiɴ/ - speech (as in words, not a formal speech), ergative
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| myisàopyùe /mʲisɜʱpʲɨʱ/ - my speech (as in words, not a formal speech), absolutive
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| ======Other stems======
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| If the
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| absolutive stem begins with another obstruent (oral stop, affricate or
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| fricative) followed by a vowel with tense voice, and that obstruent stays voiceless even when followed by a modally
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| voiced vowel (in the ergative form), then the absolutive form has tense floating phonation e.g.
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| 'táen /tɛɴˤ/ - weather, absolutive
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| toenchin /tɘɴciɴ/ - weather, ergative
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| 'myéytáen /ˤmʲeiˤtɛɴˤ/ - my weather, absolutive
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| But if the obstruent becomes voiced, then there is only ever floating modal phonation e.g.
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| támá /taˤmaˤ/ - victim of a scam / swindle, absolutive
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| damaesin /damaɛsiɴ/ - victim of a scam / swindle, ergative
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| myitámá /mʲitaˤmaˤ/ - my victim of a scam / swindle, absolutive
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| And vice versa, if the absolutive form of a noun begins with a voicless obstruent followed by a breathy voiced vowel, and that vowel becomes voiced in the ergative form, then the absolutive form has floating breathy phonation e.g.
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| `pùelùe /ʱpɨʱlɨʱ/ - bridge, absolutive
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| bilidlin /bilidɮiɴ/ - bridge, ergative
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| `myùepùelùe /ʱmʲɨʱpɨʱlɨʱ/ - my bridge, absolutive
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| `pàoy /ʱpɜiʱ/- baby, absolutive
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| baybyin /baibʲiɴ/ - baby, ergative
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| `myùepàoy /ʱmʲɨʱpɜiʱ/ - my baby, absolutive
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| And if the
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| obstruent stays voiceless in the ergative form, then there is only ever floating modal phonation e.g.
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| pàoy /pɜiʱ/ - page, absolutive
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| paydlin /paidɮiɴ/ - page, ergative
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| myipàoy /mʲipɜiʱ/ - my page, absolutive
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| ====Nasalisation of Velar Initials==== | | ====Nasalisation of Velar Initials==== |