Difference between revisions of "Phonotactics"
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| + | ==Syllable Structure== |
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| − | ==Phonotactics== |
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| + | Sereer Saluum has a CV(V)(C) syllable template. The minimal 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. Length of the vowel is completely independent of the presence of a coda. Examples of these syllable types are shown below: |
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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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| + | *CV: '''we''' def.pl.oxe/we |
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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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| + | *CVV: '''saa'''.te 'village' |
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| + | *CVC: '''jik''' 'buy' |
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| + | *CVVC: '''xoox''' 'cultivate' |
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| − | === |
+ | ====Consonant Clusters==== |
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| + | There are no onset or coda clusters. Consonant clusters do occur across syllable boundaries, but here they are limited to |
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| + | |||
| + | == Word minimality == |
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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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Revision as of 23:39, 14 December 2012
Syllable Structure
Sereer Saluum has a CV(V)(C) syllable template. The minimal 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. Length of the vowel is completely independent of the presence of a coda. Examples of these syllable types are shown below:
- CV: we def.pl.oxe/we
- CVV: saa.te 'village'
- CVC: jik 'buy'
- CVVC: xoox 'cultivate'
Consonant Clusters
There are no onset or coda clusters. Consonant clusters do occur across syllable boundaries, but here they are limited to
Word minimality
There is currently a limited number of verb root shapes attested. They are:
- CV(V)
- CV(V)C
- CVCV(V)C
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).
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 evidence thus far points to the minimal word in Sereer as being CVC, which happens to match the maximal syllable CVC (as might be expected). More investigation is needed on this point, however.
