Mouton Grammar Library a Grammar of Mongsen Ao
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Mouton Grammar Library A Grammar of Mongsen Ao ≥ Mouton Grammar Library 39 Editors Georg Bossong Bernard Comrie Matthew Dryer Mouton de Gruyter Berlin · New York A Grammar of Mongsen Ao by A. R. Coupe Mouton de Gruyter Berlin · New York Mouton de Gruyter (formerly Mouton, The Hague) is a Division of Walter de Gruyter GmbH & Co. KG, Berlin. Țȍ Printed on acid-free paper which falls within the guidelines of the ANSI to ensure permanence and durability. Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Coupe, A. R. (Alexander Robertson) A grammar of Mongsen Ao / by Alec Coupe. p. cm. Ϫ (Mouton grammar library ; 39) Includes bibliographical references and index. ISBN-13: 978-3-11-019088-5 (cloth : alk. paper) 1. Ao language Ϫ Grammar. I. Title. PL4001.A691C68 2007 4951.4Ϫdc22 2007024522 Bibliographic information published by the Deutsche Nationalbibliothek The Deutsche Nationalbibliothek lists this publication in the Deutsche Nationalbibliografie; detailed bibliographic data are available in the Internet at http://dnb.d-nb.de. ISBN 978-3-11-019088-5 ISSN 0933-7636 ” Copyright 2007 by Walter de Gruyter GmbH & Co. KG, D-10785 Berlin. All rights reserved, including those of translation into foreign languages. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopy, recording or any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publisher. Printed in Germany. Acknowledgements This work was originally submitted at La Trobe University in December 2003 as a doctoral dissertation. Since then it has been through countless revisions and expansions as further insights into the structure of the grammar have been gained. Throughout this process I have enjoyed the support of a number of key people. David Bradley oversaw my doctoral research and provided critical comments on numerous draft chapters. The final draft has been considerably strengthened by incorporating the comments and suggestions of my PhD examiners Robbins Burling, Bill Foley and Martine Mazaudon. Bernard Comrie went to the trouble of reading the entire manuscript and offered pages of detailed criticisms and suggestions for improvements. Randy LaPolla and Carol Genetti shared inspirational suggestions on many aspects of description and analysis. Other people with whom I have had the benefit of fruitful discussions include Sasha Aikhenvald, Andy Butcher, Hilary Chappell, Shobhana Chelliah, Bob Dixon, Antoine Guillaume, Bernd Heine, Jane Hill, Ken Hill, Lars Johanson, Nicole Kruspe, Scott DeLancey, Bill McGregor, Stephen Matthews, Maarten Mous, Willem de Reuse, Fritz Serzisko, Janet Sharp and Tonya Stebbins. It goes without saying that I alone am fully responsible for any remaining errors or misinterpretations. None of this work would have been possible without the generous support of the Ao community. I owe a profound debt of gratitude to the Mongsen speakers of Nagaland, and in particular, to the very obliging family of my sister-in-law Kashila Gurung. Kashila, her sister Arenla Subong, and many of their extended family went to great trouble to help me understand the intricacies of Mongsen grammar, and their uncle Imdangchiba Imchen was an enthusiastic teacher of his language. Thanks to them, I have been able to write this book. I was also touched by the overwhelming hospitality shown by the people of Mangmetong village, who made my visits so fruitful. I am equally indebted to other members of my extended family in India and Australia for all they have done to ensure that I could complete this research. In particular, I would like to acknowledge everything that my sister-in-law Sumitra Ao did for me in negotiating bureaucratic hurdles and procuring permits for me to enter Nagaland. Thanks also to my wife’s family in Shillong and Nagaland for supporting and taking care of me on my numerous visits. La Trobe University funded the doctoral research with an Australian Postgraduate Award and provided additional grants to cover fieldwork expenses. Subsequent research has been made possible by a three-year Australian Research Council postdoctoral fellowship (DP0450943: A typology vi Acknowledgements of adverbial subordination and clause linkage in Tibeto-Burman languages). I am deeply grateful to both of these institutions for their support. I thank Pacific Linguistics for granting permission to publish a map that originally appeared in Coupe (2003a). Lastly, Jo Taylor did a brilliant job proof-reading and helping to format the manuscript. Behind this whole project has been my loyal, loving partner Pavitra, the catalyst for my obsession with the languages of Nagaland. This one is for you. Table of contents Acknowledgements ...........................................................................................v List of maps, tables and figures ....................................................................xvi Abbreviations and conventions...................................................................xviii 1 Introduction 1.1. The Ao language ................................................................................ 1 1.2. Organization of this grammar ............................................................ 1 1.3. Typological overview........................................................................ 2 1.4. Linguistic situation in Nagaland ........................................................ 4 1.5. Genetic classification ......................................................................... 7 1.6. Geographical setting.......................................................................... 7 1.7. Ethnographic overview...................................................................... 9 1.7.1. Autonym, exonyms and allonyms...................................................... 9 1.7.2. History.............................................................................................. 11 1.7.3. Village life........................................................................................13 1.7.4. Religion............................................................................................ 14 1.8. Ao dialects........................................................................................16 1.9. Review of literature.......................................................................... 17 1.10. Ao literature..................................................................................... 18 1.11. Fieldwork and sources of data.......................................................... 18 1.12. Equipment ........................................................................................ 20 1.13. Orthography ..................................................................................... 20 1.14. Theoretical orientation..................................................................... 21 2 Phonology and phonological processes 2.1. Syllable structure.............................................................................. 23 2.1.1. Vowel Sequences............................................................................. 25 2.1.2. Absence of phonemic stress............................................................. 26 2.1.3. Tone ................................................................................................. 26 2.2. Segmental phonology....................................................................... 27 2.2.1. Consonant phonemes....................................................................... 27 2.2.1.1. Voice onset time contrasts ............................................................... 28 2.2.1.2. Stops................................................................................................. 30 2.2.1.3. Affricates.......................................................................................... 31 2.2.1.4. Fricatives.......................................................................................... 31 2.2.1.5. Nasals............................................................................................... 32 2.2.1.6. Approximants................................................................................... 38 2.2.1.7. Limited free variation....................................................................... 44 viii Table of contents 2.2.2. Vowel phonemes.............................................................................. 45 2.3. Segmental differences between Mongsen varieties ......................... 47 2.3.1. Consonants....................................................................................... 47 2.3.2. Vowels ............................................................................................. 48 2.4. Word ................................................................................................ 49 2.4.1. Phonological criteria........................................................................ 49 2.4.2. Grammatical criteria........................................................................ 51 2.5. Clitics ............................................................................................... 51 2.6. Phonological processes.................................................................... 52 2.6.1. Schwa deletion in prefixes ............................................................... 52 2.6.2. Sporadic vowel harmony ................................................................. 53 2.6.3. Vowel dissimilation........................................................................