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A Grammar of Aguaruna

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A Grammar of Aguaruna A Grammar of Aguaruna Simon E. Overall M.A. (Hons) A thesis submitted in total fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy Research Centre for Linguistic Typology La Trobe University Bundoora, Victoria, 3086 Australia December 2007 SUMMARY ................................................................................................................................................. XVI STATEMENT OF AUTHORSHIP ........................................................................................................... XVI ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS.......................................................................................................................XVII CONVENTIONS FOLLOWED.............................................................................................................. XVIII ABBREVIATIONS USED............................................................................................................................XX MAP ............................................................................................................................................................XXII CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION ................................................................................................................1 1.1 LINGUISTIC PROFILE .........................................................................................................................1 1.1.1 Autodenomination .......................................................................................................................2 1.1.2 Varieties of Aguaruna .................................................................................................................3 1.2 THE JIVAROAN LANGUAGES..............................................................................................................4 1.3 JIVAROAN AND RELATED LANGUAGES ..............................................................................................6 1.3.1 Candoshi .....................................................................................................................................6 1.3.2 Palta ............................................................................................................................................6 1.3.3 Areal features ..............................................................................................................................7 1.4 ANTHROPOLOGICAL NOTES...............................................................................................................8 1.4.1 History of contact ......................................................................................................................10 1.5 THIS WORK IN CONTEXT..................................................................................................................10 1.5.1 Previous work............................................................................................................................10 1.5.2 Present and future work ............................................................................................................12 1.6 FIELDWORK METHODOLOGY AND LANGUAGE DATA .......................................................................12 1.6.1 Language consultants................................................................................................................14 1.7 DISCOURSE GENRES ........................................................................................................................14 1.7.1 Narrative ...................................................................................................................................14 1.7.2 Songs .........................................................................................................................................15 1.7.2.1 nampɨta ‘drinking songs’................................................................................................................15 1.7.2.2 anɨnta ‘magic songs’.......................................................................................................................16 1.7.3 Oratory......................................................................................................................................16 CHAPTER 2: PHONOLOGY....................................................................................................................19 2.1 INTRODUCTION ...............................................................................................................................19 2.1.1 Notes on transcription...............................................................................................................19 2.1.1.1 Nasal vowels and continuants.........................................................................................................19 2.1.1.2 Nasal vs. oral obstruents .................................................................................................................20 2.1.1.3 Vowel elision..................................................................................................................................20 i 2.2 CONSONANTS ................................................................................................................................. 20 2.2.1 Obstruents................................................................................................................................. 21 2.2.2 Glottal stop ............................................................................................................................... 24 2.2.2.1 Glottal stop insertion ...................................................................................................................... 26 2.2.3 Affricates and fricatives ............................................................................................................ 27 2.2.4 Glottal fricative......................................................................................................................... 29 2.2.4.1 Comparative analysis...................................................................................................................... 32 2.2.4.2 Nasality associated with /h/ ............................................................................................................ 35 2.2.4.3 Summary ........................................................................................................................................ 36 2.2.5 Glides........................................................................................................................................ 37 2.2.6 Nasal obstruents ....................................................................................................................... 37 2.2.6.1 Word-final loss of nasals ................................................................................................................ 38 2.2.7 Rhotic........................................................................................................................................ 38 2.2.8 Other consonantal allophony.................................................................................................... 40 2.3 VOWELS ......................................................................................................................................... 40 2.3.1 Vowel sequences ....................................................................................................................... 42 2.3.2 Positional allophones of /i/, /ɨ/ and /u/...................................................................................... 43 2.3.2.1 Phonotactic restrictions on glides and vowels ................................................................................ 45 2.3.2.2 Consonantal properties of glides..................................................................................................... 46 2.3.2.3 Allophony of [w] ............................................................................................................................ 47 2.3.2.4 Loss of intervocalic glides.............................................................................................................. 47 2.3.2.5 Alternative analysis ........................................................................................................................ 48 2.3.3 Elision and devoicing of vowels................................................................................................ 49 2.4 NASAL AND ORAL PROSODIES......................................................................................................... 49 2.4.1 Nasality contrast, nasal domain and spreading........................................................................ 50 2.4.2 Alternation of Ṽ with VN........................................................................................................... 51 2.4.3 Denasalisation .......................................................................................................................... 52 2.5 SYLLABLE STRUCTURE AND VOWEL ELISION .................................................................................. 58 2.5.1 Glide formation and synaeresis ................................................................................................ 58 2.5.2 Vowel elision............................................................................................................................. 60 2.5.2.1 Syllable weight and minimal word ................................................................................................
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