Linguifex

North-East Antarctican: Difference between revisions

Page Discussion

North-East Antarctican (view source)

Revision as of 02:22, 11 October 2015

18 bytes removed ,  11 October 2015
Moved vowel allophony and phonation spreading
(Moved vowel allophony and phonation spreading)
Line 12: Line 12:


==Phonology==
==Phonology==
===Vowels===
Vowel frontness / backness is not phonemic. There are 3 phonemic oral monophthongs /a ə ɨ/.


===Consonants===
===Consonants===
Line 48: Line 43:
* /ɾʲ/ is normally pronounced as a flap, except when geminated when it becomes a trill. /ʀ/ and /ʀʷ/ are usually pronounced as approximants, except when geminated when they become trills.
* /ɾʲ/ is normally pronounced as a flap, except when geminated when it becomes a trill. /ʀ/ and /ʀʷ/ are usually pronounced as approximants, except when geminated when they become trills.


===Suprasegmentals===


====Stress====
===Vowels===


In each word, one syllable has stress. Stress can occur on any syllable, indeed the location is phonemic. There are many minimal pairs that contrast only in the location of the stress e.g. /ˈqɨ̰ɫɨ/ [ˈqɤ̰ːɫɤ̰] - "giant" vs. /qɨˈɫɨ̰/ [qɤˈɫɤ̰ː] - "evidence", /ˈkə̰tə/ [ˈkə̰ːtə̰] - "short" vs. /kəˈtə̰/ [kəˈtə̰ː] - "concept".
Vowel frontness / backness is not phonemic. There are 3 phonemic oral monophthongs /a ə ɨ/.
 
====Gemination====
 
If a stressed vowel is followed by a consonant, then sometimes the consonant is doubled. This is phonemic, and there are minimal pairs distinguished by the presence of gemination e.g. /bɨˈhə̤kɨ/ [bɨˈhə̤ːkɨ] - "bake" vs. /bɨˈhə̤kːɨ/ [bɨˈhə̤kːɨ] - "duty". Geminate consonants cannot occur after the nasal coda /ɴ/
 
 
====Timing====
 
NE Antarctican is mora-timed. Each syllable counts as one mora, except stressed syllables and syllables containing the nasal coda /ɴ/ count for two, and therefore take twice as long to pronounce. If a stressed syllable has an oral vowel, but is not followed by /ɴ/ or a geminate consonant, then the vowel is pronounced long.
 
 
====Phonation====
 
There is a phonemic phonation contrast on stressed syllables, between breathy voice and tense voice. There are many minimal pairs that contrast this e.g. /baˈhɨ̤ɴdɨ/ - "liver" vs. /baˈhɨ̰ɴdɨ/ - "to tie together".
 
Vowels with tense voice are pronounced with high or rising pitch. Vowels with breathy voice are pronounced with low or falling pitch.
 
 
===Phonotactics===
 
====Syllable Structures====


The only possible syllable structures are CV(ɴ).


 
====Vowel Allophony====
====Glottal Consonants====
 
There are a few restrictions on the glottal consonants /ʔ/ and /h/. They cannot occur between two identical vowel phonemes (so sequences such as */aha/ are forbidden). Nor can they occur after /ɴ/. Also they cannot immediately follow a stressed vowel. As such, they cannot occur geminated.
 
 
====Strong and Weak Consonants====
 
A number of consonants are classed as "strong". These are all the fricatives except /s/ (i.e. all the non-sibilant fricatives), the labialised alveolar stops /tʷ/ and /dʷ/, the uvular consonants /q/ and /ʀ/, and their labialised equivalents /qʷ/ and /ʀʷ/. The labialised velar stops /kʷ/ and /gʷ/, and the labialised palatal stops /cʷ/ and /ɟʷ/ also usually pattern as strong consonants, but there are some irregularities here (each of these four phonemes are the result of mergers between a historically strong consonant, and a historically weak consonant).
 
Historically, these were aspirated / velarised stops, which were subject to a rule similar to [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grassmann%27s_law Grassman's Law]. The result of this law is that, in the modern language, words cannot contain more than one "strong" consonant. If a process such as affixation would create a violation of this rule, all strong consonants except the last are mutated, by a regular process:
 
* /tʷ/ and /dʷ/ -> /t/ and /d/ respectively
* /ʃ/ -> /tʲ/
* /ʂ/ -> /ʈ/
* /ç/ and /x/ -> /c/
* /q/ and /ʀ/ -> /k/ and /g/ respectively
* /kʷ/ and /gʷ/ -> /p/ and /b/ respectively
* /çʷ/ and /xʷ/ -> /cʷ/ (in this case, the resulting /cʷ/ does not pattern as a strong consonant)
* /qʷ/ and /ʀʷ/ -> /kʷ/ and /gʷ/ respectively (likewise, in this case the resulting phonemes do not pattern as strong).
* /h/ -> /ʔ/
 
For example, the noun class proclitic for perennial plants is normally /gʷɨɴ-/. However, when it attaches to the root /ʀɨˈʔə̰ɻɨ/ [ʁɤˈʔʌ̰ːɻɤ̰] - "rose" (containing the strong consonant /ʀ/, the /gʷ/ changes to /b/, giving /bɨɴ=ʀɨˈʔə̰ɻɨ/ [bɤɴʁɤˈʔʌ̰ːɻɤ̰].
 
 
==Phonetic Processes==
 
===Phonation Spreading===
 
Both breathy and tense phonation tend to spread rightwards from the stressed syllable. Breathy voice spreads until it is blocked by a voiceless consonant (other than /h/). So /baˈhɨ̤ɴdɨ/ - "liver" is pronounced [baˈhɨ̤ɴdɨ̤], the breathy phonation spreading from the stressed syllable, through the /d/ onto the final syllable. However, in words such as /bɨˈhə̤kɨ/ - "bake" and /bɨˈhə̤kːɨ/ - "duty", the voiceless /k/ blocks the spread of the breathy voice, no matter whether or not it is geminated. Therefore they are pronounced [bɨˈhə̤ːkɨ] and [bɨˈhə̤kːɨ] respectively.
 
The rules for tense phonation are slightly more complex. Tense phonation spreads through nasals, approximants, flaps / trills, and laterals, and also through voiceless stops. However, it is blocked by fricatives and voiced stops e.g. it spreads in both /ˈqɨ̰ɫɨ/ [ˈqɤ̰ːɫɤ̰] - "giant" and /ˈkə̰tə/ [ˈkə̰ːtə̰] - "short", but not in /gʷɨˈkɨ̰da/ [gʷuˈkɨ̰ːda] - "to float" or /ˈkʷə̰sa/ [ˈkʷo̰ːsa] - "throwing spear".
 
 
===Vowel Allophony===


Even though there is no phonemic contrast between front and back vowels, this does not mean that sounds such as [i], [u] and [e] are absent from the language. Front and back vowels occur as allophones of their corresponding central vowels e.g. /ˈhɨ̰mːʲɨ/ - "fjord" is pronounced [ˈhḭmːʲḭ], and /ˈtʷɨ̤pːasɨ/ - "digestion" is pronounced [ˈtʷṳpːasɨ].
Even though there is no phonemic contrast between front and back vowels, this does not mean that sounds such as [i], [u] and [e] are absent from the language. Front and back vowels occur as allophones of their corresponding central vowels e.g. /ˈhɨ̰mːʲɨ/ - "fjord" is pronounced [ˈhḭmːʲḭ], and /ˈtʷɨ̤pːasɨ/ - "digestion" is pronounced [ˈtʷṳpːasɨ].
Line 173: Line 111:
| /qɨˈɫɨ̰/ || [qɤˈɫɤ̰ː] || "evidence"
| /qɨˈɫɨ̰/ || [qɤˈɫɤ̰ː] || "evidence"
|}
|}
===Suprasegmentals===
====Stress====
In each word, one syllable has stress. Stress can occur on any syllable, indeed the location is phonemic. There are many minimal pairs that contrast only in the location of the stress e.g. /ˈqɨ̰ɫɨ/ [ˈqɤ̰ːɫɤ̰] - "giant" vs. /qɨˈɫɨ̰/ [qɤˈɫɤ̰ː] - "evidence", /ˈkə̰tə/ [ˈkə̰ːtə̰] - "short" vs. /kəˈtə̰/ [kəˈtə̰ː] - "concept".
====Gemination====
If a stressed vowel is followed by a consonant, then sometimes the consonant is doubled. This is phonemic, and there are minimal pairs distinguished by the presence of gemination e.g. /bɨˈhə̤kɨ/ [bɨˈhə̤ːkɨ] - "bake" vs. /bɨˈhə̤kːɨ/ [bɨˈhə̤kːɨ] - "duty". Geminate consonants cannot occur after the nasal coda /ɴ/
====Timing====
NE Antarctican is mora-timed. Each syllable counts as one mora, except stressed syllables and syllables containing the nasal coda /ɴ/ count for two, and therefore take twice as long to pronounce. If a stressed syllable has an oral vowel, but is not followed by /ɴ/ or a geminate consonant, then the vowel is pronounced long.
====Phonation====
There is a phonemic phonation contrast on stressed syllables, between breathy voice and tense voice. There are many minimal pairs that contrast this e.g. /baˈhɨ̤ɴdɨ/ - "liver" vs. /baˈhɨ̰ɴdɨ/ - "to tie together".
Vowels with tense voice are pronounced with high or rising pitch. Vowels with breathy voice are pronounced with low or falling pitch.
====Phonation Spreading====
Both breathy and tense phonation tend to spread rightwards from the stressed syllable. Breathy voice spreads until it is blocked by a voiceless consonant (other than /h/). So /baˈhɨ̤ɴdɨ/ - "liver" is pronounced [baˈhɨ̤ɴdɨ̤], the breathy phonation spreading from the stressed syllable, through the /d/ onto the final syllable. However, in words such as /bɨˈhə̤kɨ/ - "bake" and /bɨˈhə̤kːɨ/ - "duty", the voiceless /k/ blocks the spread of the breathy voice, no matter whether or not it is geminated. Therefore they are pronounced [bɨˈhə̤ːkɨ] and [bɨˈhə̤kːɨ] respectively.
The rules for tense phonation are slightly more complex. Tense phonation spreads through nasals, approximants, flaps / trills, and laterals, and also through voiceless stops. However, it is blocked by fricatives and voiced stops e.g. it spreads in both /ˈqɨ̰ɫɨ/ [ˈqɤ̰ːɫɤ̰] - "giant" and /ˈkə̰tə/ [ˈkə̰ːtə̰] - "short", but not in /gʷɨˈkɨ̰da/ [gʷuˈkɨ̰ːda] - "to float" or /ˈkʷə̰sa/ [ˈkʷo̰ːsa] - "throwing spear".
===Phonotactics===
====Syllable Structures====
The only possible syllable structures are CV(ɴ).
====Glottal Consonants====
There are a few restrictions on the glottal consonants /ʔ/ and /h/. They cannot occur between two identical vowel phonemes (so sequences such as */aha/ are forbidden). Nor can they occur after /ɴ/. Also they cannot immediately follow a stressed vowel. As such, they cannot occur geminated.
====Strong and Weak Consonants====
A number of consonants are classed as "strong". These are all the fricatives except /s/ (i.e. all the non-sibilant fricatives), the labialised alveolar stops /tʷ/ and /dʷ/, the uvular consonants /q/ and /ʀ/, and their labialised equivalents /qʷ/ and /ʀʷ/. The labialised velar stops /kʷ/ and /gʷ/, and the labialised palatal stops /cʷ/ and /ɟʷ/ also usually pattern as strong consonants, but there are some irregularities here (each of these four phonemes are the result of mergers between a historically strong consonant, and a historically weak consonant).
Historically, these were aspirated / velarised stops, which were subject to a rule similar to [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grassmann%27s_law Grassman's Law]. The result of this law is that, in the modern language, words cannot contain more than one "strong" consonant. If a process such as affixation would create a violation of this rule, all strong consonants except the last are mutated, by a regular process:
* /tʷ/ and /dʷ/ -> /t/ and /d/ respectively
* /ʃ/ -> /tʲ/
* /ʂ/ -> /ʈ/
* /ç/ and /x/ -> /c/
* /q/ and /ʀ/ -> /k/ and /g/ respectively
* /kʷ/ and /gʷ/ -> /p/ and /b/ respectively
* /çʷ/ and /xʷ/ -> /cʷ/ (in this case, the resulting /cʷ/ does not pattern as a strong consonant)
* /qʷ/ and /ʀʷ/ -> /kʷ/ and /gʷ/ respectively (likewise, in this case the resulting phonemes do not pattern as strong).
* /h/ -> /ʔ/
For example, the noun class proclitic for perennial plants is normally /gʷɨɴ-/. However, when it attaches to the root /ʀɨˈʔə̰ɻɨ/ [ʁɤˈʔʌ̰ːɻɤ̰] - "rose" (containing the strong consonant /ʀ/, the /gʷ/ changes to /b/, giving /bɨɴ=ʀɨˈʔə̰ɻɨ/ [bɤɴʁɤˈʔʌ̰ːɻɤ̰].


==Sound Symbolism==
==Sound Symbolism==
Retrieved from "https://linguifex.com/wiki/Special:MobileDiff/39954"