Difference between revisions of "Phonotactics"
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| + | ==Syllable Structure== |
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| − | ==Phonotactics== |
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| + | The mimimal Sereer syllable is a consonant followed by a vowel, and the maximal syllable is a long vowel preceded by one consonant and followed by one consonant. Thus, the Sereer syllable template is CV(V)(C). Verb and noun stems are minimally CV(V)C, provided that glottal stop is considered a phonemic unit in Sereer. |
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| − | Maximal syllable structure is CVC. The syllable template more broadly seems to be (C)V(V)(C), with an optional onset and coda, and the option of short or long vowels completely independent of these. Any C may appear in the onset, and so far it appears that any C may appear in the coda. To perform this analysis is it necessary to assume that prenasalized stops, which may occur alone in both onsets and codas, are actually single segments rather than sequences of nasal + voiced stop. |
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| + | Examples of these syllable types are shown below: |
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| − | C.C clusters are allowed medially where the coda of one syllable meets the onset of a following syllable, but no CCC clusters of any sort are attested, even in loanwords. |
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| + | *CV: '''we''' def.pl.oxe/we |
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| + | *CVV: '''saa'''.te 'village' |
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| + | *CVC: '''jik''' 'buy' |
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| + | *CVVC: '''xoox''' 'cultivate' |
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| + | See section "Word Minimality" below for more information. |
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| + | ===Permissible Syllable Nuclei=== |
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| + | Almost exceptionlessly, Sereer syllables have a vowel as the nucleus. The single known exception is present in the person-marking in [[Imperatives and Procedurals#Moods formed on the "Procedural" base|procedural]] verb forms, where a syllabic m= is seen as a variant of the 1SG subject agreement proclitic '''min='''. |
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| + | |||
| + | In the realm of sound symbolism, it is possible to have lexical items without vowels, for example, '''fff-fff''', sound of wind blowing. However, this syllabicity is unique to ideophones; cross-linguistically, it is quite common for languages' sound symbolic phonologies to be markedly different from the rest of the inventory. |
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| + | |||
| + | ===Consonant Clusters=== |
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| + | Sereer has no onset or coda clusters. Consonant clusters are permitted across syllable boundaries; as a consequence of the maximal syllable structure, these are limited to C.C sequences. |
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| + | ===Vowel Hiatus=== |
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| + | Vowel hiatus does not occur in Sereer (except maybe in some loan words) and is clearly resolved through some variety of mechanisms, including vowel deletion, complete assimilation, and glide or glottal stop epenthesis. Across word boundaries, vowel deletion seems to be the only active hiatus resolution strategy. |
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| + | Vowel deletion and consonant epenthesis, in particular, appear to be mediated both by [[Phonotactics|phonotactic]] factors and by morphological factors that determine in some way which vowel overrides which other vowel. This is especially the case in the [[Inflectional Verbal Morphology|inflectional verbal morphology]], which has especially complicated rules regarding hiatus resolution. |
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There is currently a limited number of verb root shapes attested. They are: |
There is currently a limited number of verb root shapes attested. They are: |
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| − | *CV(V) |
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*CV(V)C |
*CV(V)C |
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*CVCV(V)C |
*CVCV(V)C |
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| − | Verbs, however, always have some added phonological material when they are spoken naturally (e.g., /bug/ "love" is never CVC *bug, but is at least bugaam "I love", etc). |
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Noun stems have the attested shapes (minus noun class/gender markers, of the shape (C)V-). Note that no noun stem attested so far has fewer than two consonants in its stem. |
Noun stems have the attested shapes (minus noun class/gender markers, of the shape (C)V-). Note that no noun stem attested so far has fewer than two consonants in its stem. |
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*CV(V)CV(V)C(V) etc. |
*CV(V)CV(V)C(V) etc. |
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| − | The evidence |
+ | The lexical evidence points to the minimal word in Sereer as being CVC, which happens to match the maximal syllable CVC (as might be expected). Numerous shorter units, of the forms V(V) and CV(V), occur predominantly in the verbal morphology complex, but these have typically been analyzed as clitics rather than as independent words. |
Latest revision as of 15:35, 28 April 2013
Syllable Structure
The mimimal Sereer syllable is a consonant followed by a vowel, and the maximal syllable is a long vowel preceded by one consonant and followed by one consonant. Thus, the Sereer syllable template is CV(V)(C). Verb and noun stems are minimally CV(V)C, provided that glottal stop is considered a phonemic unit in Sereer.
Examples of these syllable types are shown below:
- CV: we def.pl.oxe/we
- CVV: saa.te 'village'
- CVC: jik 'buy'
- CVVC: xoox 'cultivate'
See section "Word Minimality" below for more information.
Permissible Syllable Nuclei
Almost exceptionlessly, Sereer syllables have a vowel as the nucleus. The single known exception is present in the person-marking in procedural verb forms, where a syllabic m= is seen as a variant of the 1SG subject agreement proclitic min=.
In the realm of sound symbolism, it is possible to have lexical items without vowels, for example, fff-fff, sound of wind blowing. However, this syllabicity is unique to ideophones; cross-linguistically, it is quite common for languages' sound symbolic phonologies to be markedly different from the rest of the inventory.
Consonant Clusters
Sereer has no onset or coda clusters. Consonant clusters are permitted across syllable boundaries; as a consequence of the maximal syllable structure, these are limited to C.C sequences.
Vowel Hiatus
Vowel hiatus does not occur in Sereer (except maybe in some loan words) and is clearly resolved through some variety of mechanisms, including vowel deletion, complete assimilation, and glide or glottal stop epenthesis. Across word boundaries, vowel deletion seems to be the only active hiatus resolution strategy.
Vowel deletion and consonant epenthesis, in particular, appear to be mediated both by phonotactic factors and by morphological factors that determine in some way which vowel overrides which other vowel. This is especially the case in the inflectional verbal morphology, which has especially complicated rules regarding hiatus resolution.
Word minimality
There is currently a limited number of verb root shapes attested. They are:
- CV(V)C
- CVCV(V)C
Noun stems have the attested shapes (minus noun class/gender markers, of the shape (C)V-). Note that no noun stem attested so far has fewer than two consonants in its stem.
- CV(V)C
- CV(V)CV
- CV(V)CV(V)C(V) etc.
The lexical evidence points to the minimal word in Sereer as being CVC, which happens to match the maximal syllable CVC (as might be expected). Numerous shorter units, of the forms V(V) and CV(V), occur predominantly in the verbal morphology complex, but these have typically been analyzed as clitics rather than as independent words.
