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Ihlleng: Difference between revisions
Finished section on plurals
(Basic Phonology) |
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=== Vowels === | === Vowels === | ||
There are 7 phonemic vowel qualities /a/, /e/, /i/, /o/, /u/, /ɛ/ and /ɔ/ (the last two cannot occur word finally). There are 6 diphthongs: /ai/, /au/, /ei/, /ou/, /eu/ and /ou/. | |||
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====Restrictions on /h/ | ====Restrictions on /h/==== | ||
Only one instance of /h/ is allowed in a word. For example, the 3rd person masculine plural present involitional is marked by the circumfix /hja/ ... /do/. But when this is added to a verb root such as /ˈhleːpjeŋ/ - to sleep, then the initial /h/ is lost, yielding /jaˈhleːpjendo/ - they (masculine) sleep (involuntarily). | Only one instance of /h/ is allowed in a word. For example, the 3rd person masculine plural present involitional is marked by the circumfix /hja/ ... /do/. But when this is added to a verb root such as /ˈhleːpjeŋ/ - to sleep, then the initial /h/ is lost, yielding /jaˈhleːpjendo/ - they (masculine) sleep (involuntarily). | ||
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One syllable in each word is stressed. Each stressed syllable either has a long vowel (e.g. /ˈhleːpjeŋ/ - to sleep), or geminates the consonant or consonant cluster after it (e.g. /ˈihlːeŋ/ - Illheng). | One syllable in each word is stressed. Each stressed syllable either has a long vowel (e.g. /ˈhleːpjeŋ/ - to sleep), or geminates the consonant or consonant cluster after it (e.g. /ˈihlːeŋ/ - Illheng). | ||
==Morphology== | |||
===Nouns=== | |||
====Plurals==== | |||
Pluralisation is done by reduplicating the stressed syllable of the noun. The reduplication is placed after the noun root e.g. | |||
/baˈnaː/ - banana -> /baˈnaːna/ - bananas | |||
/ˈwindːo/ - wind -> /ˈwindːowin/ - winds | |||
If the stressed syllable is open, but not the last syllable of the word, then the first consonant of the next syllable is reduplicated with it e.g. | |||
/ˈpfutːa/ - fruit -> /ˈpfutːapfut/ - fruits | |||
/ˈmadːle/ - mother -> /ˈmadːlemad/ - mothers | |||
/ˈdɔktːa/ - doctor -> /ˈdɔktːaˈdɔk/ - doctors | |||
However, if the reduplication would cause an illegal consonant cluster, the second member of the clusters is deleted e.g. | |||
/ˈzloːub/ - world -> /ˈzloːubloub/ - worlds (not */ˈzloːubzloub/) | |||
/ˈzwɛbːit/ - rabbit -> /ˈzwɛbːitwɛb/ - rabbits (not */ˈzwɛbːitzwɛb/) | |||
/ˈmɛdːik/ - spell (magic) -> /ˈmɛdːikɛd/ - spells (not */ˈmɛdːikmɛd/) | |||
/aˈlaːm/ - booby trap -> /aˈlaːmam/ - booby traps (not */aˈlaːmlam/) | |||
/ˈzwekːod/ - record -> /ˈzwekːodwek/ - records (not */ˈzwekːodzwek/) | |||
If the reduplication would create a word that ends in /j/ or /w/, then a diphthong is formed instead e.g. | |||
/ˈnawːa/ - rope -> /ˈnawːanau/ - ropes | |||
/ˈbajːa/ - bay -> /ˈbajːabai/ - bays | |||
If the reduplication would create a word that ends in /l/, then the final /l/ is deleted e.g. | |||
/osiˈbolːi/ - hand towel -> /osiˈbolːibo/ (not */osiˈbolːibol/) | |||
If the reduplication involves duplicating a /h/ phoneme, then the /h/ phoneme in the root is deleted. This is due to the restriction that only one /h/ phoneme is allowed in a word. e.g. | |||
/ˈhonːe/ - bone -> /ˈonːehon/ - bones (not */ˈhonːehon/) | |||
/ˈthestːo/ - test -> /ˈtestːothes/ - tests (not */ˈthestːothes/) | |||
/ˈhjoːka/ - mark / grade / score -> /ˈjoːkahjok/ - marks / grades / scores (not */ˈhjoːkahjok/) | |||
If the reduplication involves duplicating a /h/ phoneme and placing it at the end of the word, both copies of the /h/ phoneme are lost e.g. | |||
/ˈmahlːa/ - thug -> /ˈmalːama/ - thugs (not */ˈmahlːama/) | |||
If the noun root ends with a nasal, then it assimilates to the place of articulation of any following consonant in the reduplication e.g. | |||
/ˈbɔtːan/ - button -> /ˈbɔtːambɔt/ - buttons | |||
If the noun root ends with a diphthong (/ai/, /au/, /ei/, /ou/, /eu/ or /ou/), and the stressed syllable is an initial syllable without an onset consonant, then the second part of the diphthong becomes a semivowel e.g. | |||
/ˈekːau/ - echo -> /ˈekːawek/ - echoes (/u/ changes to /w/) | |||
If the stressed syllable is an initial syllable without an onset consonant, then there is a possibility of the reduplication forming diphthongs e.g. | |||
/ˈunːja/ - fingernail -> /ˈunːjaun/ - fingernails | |||
/ˈumːo/ - fume -> /ˈumːoum/ - fumes | |||
/ˈimːa/ - moment -> /ˈimːaim/ - moments | |||
/ˈimːo/ - sweet potato -> /ˈimːoim/ - sweet potatoes | |||
/ˈumːe/ - plum -> /ˈumːeum/ - plums | |||
If a diphthong cannot be formed (i.e. the two vowels combine to give something other than /ai/, /au/, /ei/, /ou/, /eu/ or /ou/), then some kind of contraction occurs. If the two vowels are identical, then they contract to one vowel e.g. | |||
/ˈotːxo/ - other -> /ˈotːxot/ - others | |||
/ˈasːa/ - morning -> /ˈasːas/ - mornings | |||
If the two vowels are /a/ plus either /e/ or /o/ (in any order), then they contract to give /ɛ/ and /ɔ/ respectively e.g. | |||
/ˈembːa/ - ember -> /ˈembːɛm/ - embers (not */ˈembːaem/) | |||
/ˈantːjo/ - wilderness -> /ˈantːjɔn/ - wildernesses (not */ˈantːjoan/) | |||
If the two vowels are /ɛ/ plus either /a/ or /e/, then they contract to /ɛ/ e.g. | |||
/ˈɛŋkːa/ - anchor -> /ˈɛŋkːɛŋ/ - anchors | |||
Likewise, if the two vowels are /ɔ/ plus either /a/ or /o/, then they contract to /ɔ/ e.g. | |||
/ˈɔnːa/ - achievement -> /ˈɔxːɔx/ - achievements | |||
If one of the above assimilation rules doesn't apply, then the first vowel of the two vowel sequence becomes a semivowel e.g. | |||
/ˈasːi/ - leg -> /ˈasːjas/ - legs | |||
/ˈiŋkːu/ - ink -> /ˈiŋkːwiŋ/ - inks | |||
/ˈɛːnto/ - ant -> /ˈɛːntwɛn/ - ants | |||
However, if the above rule would put two semivowels together, the first vocalises to become a vowel e.g. | |||
/ˈonːlwe/ - man -> /ˈonːlujon/ - men | |||
/ˈenlːjo/ - a gift that is refused because of politeness -> /ˈenlːiwen/ - gifts that are refused because of politeness (not */ˈenlːjwen/) | |||
If the stressed syllable begins with a single voiceless obstruent (perhaps with a semivowel after it), then this is usually lenited in the reduplication e.g. | |||
/ˈsjelːo/ - sky -> /ˈsjelːozje/ - skies | |||
/x/ and /h/ both lenit to /b/ e.g. | |||
/siŋˈxilːo/ - club (weapon) -> /siŋˈxilːobi/ - clubs (weapon) | |||
However, voiceless obstruents do not undergo lenition if there is another voiced obstruent nearby (separated by nothing more than sonorants) e.g. | |||
/ˈsoudːja/ - soldier -> /ˈsoudːjasoud/ - soldiers (not */ˈsoudːjazoud/) | |||