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Saxuma: Difference between revisions
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===Pitch Accent=== | ===Pitch Accent=== | ||
Stress is contrastive in Saxuma. Historically, different parts of speech were produced from the same stem by varying the stress (with verbs having ultimate stress and nouns and adjectives initial), and stress was reinforced by a system of vowel reduction. For example, ''kobá'' [kɔˈba] | Stress is contrastive in Saxuma. Historically, different parts of speech were produced from the same stem by varying the stress (with verbs having ultimate stress and nouns and adjectives initial), and stress was reinforced by a system of vowel reduction. For example, ''kobá'' [kɔˈba] ("to drink") vs. ''kóba'' [ˈko.bʌ] ("beverage"). These kinds of verb-noun pairs still exist in modern Saxuma, such as ''kalán'' 'to cry' vs. ''kálan'' 'tears', but many of them have been made less direct due to sound changes. For example, while 'to drink' is still ''kobá'', is now ''kō''. | ||
Additionally, in place of the stress and vowel reduction system, modern Saxuma uses pitch accent. There are three pitch levels, and all syllables are by default mid tone. | Additionally, in place of the stress and vowel reduction system, modern Saxuma uses pitch accent. There are three pitch levels, and all syllables are by default mid tone. | ||
* Monosyllabic words retain their mid tone pitch. For example, | * Monosyllabic words retain their mid tone pitch. For example, ''kan'' [ˈkan] ("cold"). This is also true of monosyllabic words with long vowels and diphthongs, such as ''bō'' [ˈboː] ("sheep"). Some monosyllabic content words, such as ''gay'' [gay] ("why") are stressless, and bear a low tone. | ||
* If a short vowel is accented, it bears a high tone, e.g. | * If a short vowel is accented, it bears a high tone, e.g. ''émin'' [ɛ́.min] ("lips"). If it is non-initial and preceded by a short vowel, the preceding syllable bears a low tone. For example, ''xeyáyem'' [ɕɛ̀ˈjá.jem] ("friction") and ''zigará'' [zi.gɑ̀ˈrá] ("protector"). | ||
* If stressed or directly preceding a stressed syllable, long vowels and diphthongs receive contour tones. For stressed vowels, this is a peaking contour of tone MHM, e.g. | * If stressed or directly preceding a stressed syllable, long vowels and diphthongs receive contour tones. For stressed vowels, this is a peaking contour of tone MHM, e.g. ''enâ'' [ɛ̀ˈna᷈ː] ("passion"). When directly preceding a stressed syllable, the long vowel bears a falling contour ML, e.g. ''mābá'' [mâːˈbá] ("various"). | ||
** When long vowels are pronounced as identical vowels in hiatus, each vowel carries its own tone. If stressed, they follow the pattern of HM. If preceding a stressed syllable, then ML. Using the examples above, ''enâ'' would be pronounced as [ɛ̀ˈnáˌa] and ''mābá'' as [ma.àˈbá]. | ** When long vowels are pronounced as identical vowels in hiatus, each vowel carries its own tone. If stressed, they follow the pattern of HM. If preceding a stressed syllable, then ML. Using the examples above, ''enâ'' would be pronounced as [ɛ̀ˈnáˌa] and ''mābá'' as [ma.àˈbá]. | ||