An Acoustic Study of Stem Prominence in Han Athabascan

Total Page:16

File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb

An Acoustic Study of Stem Prominence in Han Athabascan An acoustic study of stem prominence in Han Athabascan Item Type Thesis Authors Manker, Jonathan T. Download date 09/10/2021 16:20:02 Link to Item http://hdl.handle.net/11122/8459 AN ACOUSTIC STUDY OF STEM PROMINENCE IN HAN ATHABASCAN By Jonathan T. Manker RECOMMENDED: APPROVED: Interim Dean, College of Liberal Arts AN ACOUSTIC STUDY OF STEM PROMINENCE IN HAN ATHABASCAN A THESIS Presented to the Faculty of the University of Alaska Fairbanks in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of MASTER OF ARTS By Jonathan T. Manker, B.A. Fairbanks, Alaska May 2012 iii Ab s t r a c t Observations in many studies of Athabascan languages have indicated that the stem syllable displays phonetic prominence, perhaps due to its semantic or structural importance, which is realized through a variety of acoustic means. Features such as voicing, duration, manner of articulation, voice quality, and vowel quality pattern differently in stems and prefixes, both in the diachronic developments of Athabascan phonology as well as in the synchronic, phonetic realizations of individual phonemes. This acoustic study of the Han language investigates the synchronic realization of this morphological conditioning in fricatives, stops, and vowels, and attempts to unify several different phonological effects into a single theory of stem prominence. The results show that the most regular and predictable of these correlates of stem prominence is the increase in duration of segments in stem onsets (consonants) and nuclei (vowels). Additional variations in features that pattern according to morphological category, such as voicing (in fricatives), voice quality (in ejectives), and vowel quality are considered secondary effects largely influenced by duration. iv Ta b l e o f Co n t e n t s Page Signature Page....................................................................................................................i Title Page............................................................................................................................ii Abstract ............................................................................................................................... iii Table of Contents ............................................................................................................... iv List of Figures.....................................................................................................................x List of Tables ......................................................................................................................xiv List of Examples.................................................................................................................xv Acknowledgements ............................................................................................................ xvi Chapter 1 Introduction.................................................................................................1 1.1. Background and Literature Review ..........................................................................1 1.2. Han Language Community....................................................................................... 3 1.3. The Classification of Han Within the Athabascan Language Family ....................5 1.4. Han Phonology........................................................................................................... 7 1.4.1. Consonants..................................................................................................7 1.4.2. Vowels .......................................................................................................9 1.4.3. Syllable Structure ........................................................................................ 10 1.5. Han Orthography .....................................................................................................11 1.6. Phonemic Writing Practices in This Paper..............................................................13 1.7. Organization of This Paper....................................................................................... 14 v Chapter 2 Fricatives.........................................................................................................15 2.1. Background and Literature Review ........................................................................... 15 2.1.1. Fricative Voicing .........................................................................................15 2.1.1.1. Fricatives in Verb Stem Onsets Developed Voicing Intervocalically..........................................................................................16 2.1.1.2. Fricatives in Possessed Noun, Adjective, and Postposition Stem Onsets Developed Voicing........................................................................ 16 2.1.1.3. PA /y/ Strengthens to [z] in Stem Initial Position......................17 2.1.1.4. Fricatives in Certain Prefix Onsets Developed Voicing 18 2.1.1.5. Fricatives in Loan Words Further Obscure Morphophonological Conditioning of Voicing............................................................................22 2.1.2 Synchronic Realization of Fricative Voicing ............................................. 23 2.1.2.1. Fricative Voicing in Other Athabascan Languages ..................23 2.1.2.2. Fricative Voicing in Han............................................................. 25 2.2. Methodology ............................................................................................................... 27 2. 3. Results ........................................................................................................................ 29 2.3.1. Duration.......................................................................................................29 2.3.2. Voicing........................................................................................................ 33 2.3.3. Intensity........................................................................................................46 2.4. Analysis and Discussion ............................................................................................ 47 2.5. Conclusion ................................................................................................................... 52 vi Chapter 3 Stops.................................................................................................................54 3.1. Pulmonic Stops...........................................................................................................54 3.1.1. Background and Literature Review ............................................................ 55 3.1.1.1. Diachronic Obstruentization of Stem Initial /n/ ........................ 55 3.1.1.2. Consonant Lengthening in Southern Athabascan ..................... 56 3.1.2. Methodology................................................................................................57 3.1.3. Results............................................................................................................59 3.1.31. Nasals (/n/).................................................................................... 59 3.1.3.1.1. Nasal Closure Duration.................................................59 3.1.3.1.2. Nasal Intensity ............................................................. 59 3.1.3.2. Plosives (Non-Affricates, /d/ and /t/).......................................... 59 3.1.3.2.1. Plosive Closure Duration ............................................. 60 3.1.3.2.2. Plosive Voice Onset Time ........................................... 61 3.1.3.2.3. Plosive Intensity............................................................ 62 3.1.3.3. Affricates (/c/ and /)/)....................................................................62 3.1.3.3.1. Affricate Closure Duration.......................................... 62 3.1.3.3.2. Affricate Release Duration.......................................... 62 3.1.3.3.3. Affricate Intensity......................................................... 64 3.1.4. Analysis and Discussion.............................................................................. 64 3.1.4.1. Duration........................................................................................64 3.1.4.2. Intensity.........................................................................................65 3.1.4.3. Comparison with Previous Literature........................................ 65 vii 3.2. Ejectives........................................................................................................................ 67 3.2.1. Background and Literature Review ............................................................ 68 3.2.1.1. Cross-Linguistic Descriptions of Ejectives................................68 3.2.1.2. Descriptions of Ejective Variation in Athabascan..................... 69 3.2.2. Methodology................................................................................................. 70 3.2.2.1. Duration of Closure and Release................................................70 3.2.2.2. Voicing Effects and Rise Time...................................................71 3.2.3. Results.......................................................................................................... 72 3.2.3.1. Closure Duration..........................................................................72 3.2.3.2. Voice Onset Time........................................................................73 3.2.3.3. Voice Quality.............................................................................
Recommended publications
  • Part-Time Instructor Dakelh (Carrier)
    Part-Time Instructor Posting #FAPT01-21 Dakelh (Carrier) Language Instructor First Nations Studies Faculty of Indigenous Studies, Social Sciences and Humanities The University of Northern British Columbia invites applications for an instructor in the Department of First Nations Studies to teach a single introductory Dakelh (Carrier) Language Course during the 2021 Spring Semester. This course will be taught online and is scheduled to run from 31 May 2021 to 18 June 2021 from 9:00 am to 11:50 am with an exam to be scheduled between 21-25 June 2021. Interested applicants must be willing to teach online, have experience teaching in a post-secondary and/or adult education setting, and possess a working knowledge of Dakelh. About the University and its Community Located in the spectacular landscape of northern British Columbia, UNBC is one of Canada’s best small research-intensive universities, with a core campus in Prince George and three regional campuses in Northern BC (Quesnel, Fort St. John and Terrace). We have a passion for teaching, discovery, people, the environment, and the North. Our region is comprised of friendly communities, offering a wide range of outdoor activities including exceptional skiing, canoeing and kayaking, fly fishing, hiking, and mountain biking. The lakes, forests and mountains of northern and central British Columbia offer an unparalleled natural environment in which to live and work. To Apply Applicants should forward their cover letter and curriculum vitae to the Chair of First Nations Studies, Dr. Daniel Sims, at [email protected] by 30 April 2021. All qualified candidates are encouraged to apply; however, Canadians and permanent residents will be given priority.
    [Show full text]
  • Language Data Tables User Guide
    Demolinguistic Data for Indigenous Communities in Canada Language Data Tables User Guide Version 0.7.1 Norris Research Inc. https://norrisresearch.com/ref_tables.htm 1 January 2021 Norris Research: Language Data Tables Users Guide DRAFT January 1, 2021 Recommended Citation: Norris Research Inc. (2020). Demolinguistic Data for Indigenous communities in Canada: Language Data Tables Users Guide, 01 January 2021. Draft Report prepared under contract with the Department of Canadian Heritage. Norris Research: Language Data Tables Users Guide DRAFT January 1, 2021 Table of Contents Table of Contents .................................................................................................................................................................... 3 !! IMPORTANT !! ..................................................................................................................................................................... 9 A Cautionary Note ............................................................................................................................................................... 9 Website Tips and Tricks ........................................................................................................................................................ 11 Tables ................................................................................................................................................................................ 11 Tree View .........................................................................................................................................................................
    [Show full text]
  • An Anatomy of Carrier Cremation Cruelty in the Historical Record1
    “Caledonian Suttee”? An Anatomy of Carrier Cremation 1 Cruelty in the Historical Record I.S. MACL AREN etween 1820 and 1860 four published stories about Native barbarity contributed to the demonization of the inhabitants of the Pacific Slope inland from coastal areas. The first was B 1812 the record of a Carrier cremation in January at Stuart Lake; the second was an incident of Iroquois cannibalism in May 1817 on the upper Columbia River; the third was the murder by a vengeful Shuswap of Hudson’s Bay Company chief factor Samuel Black at Thompson River Fort on 8 February 1841; and the fourth was the massacre by Caiuse of the Whitmans at Waillatpu in November 1847.2 These stories came to form readers’ perceptions of the barbarians of the Interior, and became instances of what has been called occupational folklore.3 Of these, Carrier cremation cruelty alone involved only Native people. It was “the subject of much jaundiced comment by Europeans,” whose 1 An earlier version of this essay was read before the British Columbia Inside/Out Conference organized by BC Studies and the BC Political Studies Association, University of Northern British Columbia, 28-30 April 2005. I wish to thank Randy Bouchard and Dorothy Kennedy for generously permitting me access to their extensive library, which brought to my attention many sources cited herein. 2 The first published appearances of each of the four occurred in Daniel Williams Harmon, A Journal of Voyages and Travels in the Interiour of North America, ed. Rev. Daniel Haskel (Andover, VT: Flagg and Gould, 1820), 215-18; Ross Cox, Adventures on the Columbia River, 2 vols.
    [Show full text]
  • Lhtako Dene First Nation
    northern health the northern way of caring ABORIGINAL RESOURCE GUIDE 2019 Artwork on cover by Artist Curtis Boyd northern health TABLE OF CONTENTS Introduction ....................................................... 4 Ndazkoh First Nation ......................................... 6 Dene First Nation............................................. 10 ?Esdilagh First Nation ..................................... 14 Lhoosk’uz Dene First Nation ........................... 18 Additional Resources ....................................... 21 Medicine Wheel ............................................... 29 Quesnel Health Services Contact Numbers ..... 31 Southern Carrier Terminology ......................... 32 Hospital Terminology ...................................... 34 Footprints in Stone.......................................... 37 Contacts .......................................................... 48 ABORIGINAL 2 RESOURCE GUIDE 3 northern health INTRODUCTION Quesnel Health Services provides services to four local bands: Ndazkoh First Nations (Nazko), Lhoosk’uz Dene Nation (Kluskus), ?Esdilagh First Nation (Alexandria) and Lhtako Dene Nation (Red Bluff), as well as to the urban population of local First Nation, Inuit and Metis people. This Guide will provide information on our local First Nations, community resources, culture and history. A Quick Overview Nazko, Kluskus and Red Bluff are all Southern Carrier Nations. Their traditional language is Carrier, which is part of the northern Athabaskan language family which is spoken throughout Northern
    [Show full text]
  • Typotheque North American Syllabics Proposed Revisions to The
    Typotheque Prepared by Kevin King Typotheque [email protected] www.typotheque.com 04/06/21 North American Syllabics Proposed revisions to the representative characters of the Unified Canadian Aboriginal Syllabics code charts Typotheque Proposed representative character revisions of the Unified Canadian Aboriginal Syllabics 2 CONTENTS 1 Summary of proposed character revisions 3 2 Revisions for Carrier 9 3 Revisions for Sayisi 36 4 Revisions for Ojibway 46 Bibliography 52 Acknowledgements 54 Typotheque Proposed representative character revisions of the Unified Canadian Aboriginal Syllabics 3 1 Summary of proposed character revisions The following proposal requests 120 revisions to the representative char- acters in the official code charts of Unified Canadian Aboriginal Syllabics main and extended blocks. The proposed characters for revision have been summarized below with representative glyphs and corresponding character names with annotations where applicable. Additionally, revised code charts for UCAS main and extended has been provided in the following section with the proposed revised representative characters marked in pink, imple- mented into their corresponding code point locations. The author has prepared a style-matched font for the purpose of imple- menting into the code chart: 144B ᑋ CANADIAN SYLLABICS carrier H 160D ᘍ CANADIAN SYLLABICS carrier ma 14D1 ᓑ CANADIAN SYLLABICS carrier NG 160E ᘎ CANADIAN SYLLABICS carrier yu 1506 ᔆ CANADIAN SYLLABICS athapascan s 160F ᘏ CANADIAN SYLLABICS carrier yO 15C0 ᗀ CANADIAN SYLLABICS Sayisi
    [Show full text]
  • MIXED CODES, BILINGUALISM, and LANGUAGE MAINTENANCE DISSERTATION Presented in Partial Fulfillment of the Requi
    BILINGUAL NAVAJO: MIXED CODES, BILINGUALISM, AND LANGUAGE MAINTENANCE DISSERTATION Presented in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree Doctor of Philosophy in the Graduate School of The Ohio State University By Charlotte C. Schaengold, M.A. ***** The Ohio State University 2004 Dissertation Committee: Approved by Professor Brian Joseph, Advisor Professor Donald Winford ________________________ Professor Keith Johnson Advisor Linguistics Graduate Program ABSTRACT Many American Indian Languages today are spoken by fewer than one hundred people, yet Navajo is still spoken by over 100,000 people and has maintained regional as well as formal and informal dialects. However, the language is changing. While the Navajo population is gradually shifting from Navajo toward English, the “tip” in the shift has not yet occurred, and enormous efforts are being made in Navajoland to slow the language’s decline. One symptom in this process of shift is the fact that many young people on the Reservation now speak a non-standard variety of Navajo called “Bilingual Navajo.” This non-standard variety of Navajo is the linguistic result of the contact between speakers of English and speakers of Navajo. Similar to Michif, as described by Bakker and Papen (1988, 1994, 1997) and Media Lengua, as described by Muysken (1994, 1997, 2000), Bilingual Navajo has the structure of an American Indian language with parts of its lexicon from a European language. “Bilingual mixed languages” are defined by Winford (2003) as languages created in a bilingual speech community with the grammar of one language and the lexicon of another. My intention is to place Bilingual Navajo into the historical and theoretical framework of the bilingual mixed language, and to explain how ii this language can be used in the Navajo speech community to help maintain the Navajo language.
    [Show full text]
  • Taking the Laboratory Into the Field
    arli1Whalen ARI 25 August 2014 21:38 Taking the Laboratory into the Field D.H. Whalen1,2 and Joyce McDonough3 1Program in Speech–Language–Hearing Sciences, City University of New York, New York, NY 10016; email: [email protected] 2Haskins Laboratories, Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut 06511 3Department of Linguistics, University of Rochester, Rochester, New York 14627 Annu. Rev. Linguist. 2015. 1:14.1–14.21 Keywords The Annual Review of Linguistics is online at phonetics, morphology, syntax, semantics, experiments, language linguistics.annualreviews.org documentation This article’s doi: 10.1146/annurev-linguist-030514-124915 Abstract Copyright © 2015 by Annual Reviews. We review the development of methodologies and technologies of All rights reserved empirical linguistic work done outside traditional academic labora- tories. The integration of such results with contemporary language documentation and linguistic theory is an increasingly important component of language analysis. Taking linguistic inquiry out of the lab and away from well-described and familiar data brings challenges in logistics, ethics, and the definition of variability within language use. In an era when rapidly developing technologies offer new poten- tial for collecting linguistic data, the role of empirical or experimental work in theoretical discussions continues to increase. Collecting linguistic data on understudied languages raises issues about its aim vis-à-vis the academy and the language communities, and about its integration into linguistic theory.
    [Show full text]
  • Traditional Resource Use of the Flagstaff Area Monuments
    TRADITIONAL RESOURCE USE OF THE FLAGSTAFF AREA MONUMENTS FINAL REPORT Prepared by Rebecca S. Toupal Richard W. Stoffle Bureau of Applied Research in Anthropology University of Arizona Tucson, AZ 86721 July 19, 2004 TRADITIONAL RESOURCE USE OF THE FLAGSTAFF AREA MONUMENTS FINAL REPORT Prepared by Rebecca S. Toupal Richard W. Stoffle Shawn Kelly Jill Dumbauld with contributions by Nathan O’Meara Kathleen Van Vlack Fletcher Chmara-Huff Christopher Basaldu Prepared for The National Park Service Cooperative Agreement Number 1443CA1250-96-006 R.W. Stoffle and R.S. Toupal, Principal Investigators Bureau of Applied Research in Anthropology University of Arizona Tucson, AZ 86721 July 19, 2004 TABLE OF CONTENTS LIST OF TABLES................................................................................................................... iv LIST OF FIGURES .................................................................................................................iv CHAPTER ONE: STUDY OVERVIEW ..................................................................................1 Project History and Purpose...........................................................................................1 Research Tasks...............................................................................................................1 Research Methods..........................................................................................................2 Organization of the Report.............................................................................................7
    [Show full text]
  • Reproductions Supplied by EDRS Are the Best That Can Be Made from the Original Document
    DOCUMENT RESUME ED 459 035 RC 023 244 AUTHOR Dayo, Dixie Masak, Ed. TITLE Sharing Our Pathways: A Newsletter of the Alaska Rural Systemic Initiative, 2001. INSTITUTION Alaska Federation of Natives, Anchorage.; Alaska Univ., Fairbanks. Alaska Native Knowledge Network. SPONS AGENCY National Science Foundation, Arlington, VA. Division of Educational System Reform.; Rural School and Community Trust, Washington, DC. PUB DATE 2001-00-00 NOTE 86p.; For volume 5, see ED 453 984. AVAILABLE FROM Alaska Native Knowledge Network/Alaska RSI, University of Alaska Fairbanks, P.O. Box 756730, Fairbanks, AK 99775-6730. Tel: 907-474-5086. For full text: http://www.ankn.uaf.edu/sop. PUB TYPE Collected Works Serials (022) JOURNAL CIT Sharing Our Pathways; v6 n1-5 2001 EDRS PRICE MF01/PC04 Plus Postage. DESCRIPTORS *Alaska Natives; American Indian Culture; *American Indian Education; American Indian Languages; Bilingual Education; Conferences; Cultural Maintenance; *Culturally Relevant Education; *Educational Change; Elementary Secondary Education; Eskimo Aleut Languages; Language Maintenance; Outdoor Education; Rural Education; School Community Relationship; Science Education; Teacher Education IDENTIFIERS *Alaska; Arctic; Eskimo Culture; *Indigenous Knowledge Systems ABSTRACT This document contains the five issues of "Sharing Our Pathways" published in 2001. This newsletter of the Alaska Rural Systemic Initiative (AKRSI) documents efforts to make Alaska rural education--particularly science education--more culturally relevant to Alaska Native students.
    [Show full text]
  • Curriculum and Resources for First Nations Language Programs in BC First Nations Schools
    Curriculum and Resources for First Nations Language Programs in BC First Nations Schools Resource Directory Curriculum and Resources for First Nations Language Programs in BC First Nations Schools Resource Directory: Table of Contents and Section Descriptions 1. Linguistic Resources Academic linguistics articles, reference materials, and online language resources for each BC First Nations language. 2. Language-Specific Resources Practical teaching resources and curriculum identified for each BC First Nations language. 3. Adaptable Resources General curriculum and teaching resources which can be adapted for teaching BC First Nations languages: books, curriculum documents, online and multimedia resources. Includes copies of many documents in PDF format. 4. Language Revitalization Resources This section includes general resources on language revitalization, as well as resources on awakening languages, teaching methods for language revitalization, materials and activities for language teaching, assessing the state of a language, envisioning and planning a language program, teacher training, curriculum design, language acquisition, and the role of technology in language revitalization. 5. Language Teaching Journals A list of journals relevant to teachers of BC First Nations languages. 6. Further Education This section highlights opportunities for further education, training, certification, and professional development. It includes a list of conferences and workshops relevant to BC First Nations language teachers, and a spreadsheet of post‐ secondary programs relevant to Aboriginal Education and Teacher Training - in BC, across Canada, in the USA, and around the world. 7. Funding This section includes a list of funding sources for Indigenous language revitalization programs, as well as a list of scholarships and bursaries available for Aboriginal students and students in the field of Education, in BC, across Canada, and at specific institutions.
    [Show full text]
  • DS Ang TERRICHE Abdallaha
    People’s Democratic Republic of Algeria Ministry of Higher Education and Scentific Research Djillali Liabes University of Sidi Bel Abbes Faculty of Letters, Languages and Arts Department of English Language Planning and Endangered Minority Languages Schools as Agents for Language Revival in Algeria and Australia Thesis Submitted to the Department of English in Candidacy for the Degree of Doctorate in Language Planning and Education Submitted by: Supervised by: Mr. Terriche Abdallah Amin Prof. Melouk Mohamed Board of Examiners Prof. Bedjaoui Fewzia President Sidi Bel Abbes University Prof. Melouk Mohamed Supervisor Sidi Bel Abbes University Prof. Ouerrad Belabbas Examiner Sidi Bel Abbes University Dr. Bensafa Abdelakader Examiner Tlemcen University Dr. Baraka Abdellah Examiner Mascara University Dr. Gambaza Hichem Examiner Saida University 2019-2020 Dedication To all my teachers and teacher educators I Acknowledgements The accomplishment of the present study is due to the assistance of several individuals. I would like to take this opportunity to express immense gratitude to all of them. In particular, I am profoundly indebted to my supervisor, Prof. Melouk Mohamed, who has been very generous with his time, knowledge and assisted me in each step to complete the dissertation. I also owe a debt of gratitude to all members of the jury for their extensive advice and general support: Prof. Bedjaoui Fewzia as president, Prof. Ouerrad Belabbas, Dr. Bensafa Abdelakaer, Dr. Baraka Abdellah, and Dr. Gambaza Hichem as examiners. I gratefully acknowledge the very generous support of Mr Zaitouni Ali, Mr Hamza Mohamed, Dr Robert Amery, and Mr Greg Wilson who were instrumental in producing this work, in particular data collection.
    [Show full text]
  • © 2012 Steven M. Maas
    © 2012 Steven M. Maas WELSHNESS POLITICIZED, WELSHNESS SUBMERGED: THE POLITICS OF ‘POLITICS’ AND THE PRAGMATICS OF LANGUAGE COMMUNITY IN NORTH-WEST WALES BY STEVEN M. MAAS DISSERTATION Submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Anthropology in the Graduate College of the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, 2012 Urbana, Illinois Doctoral Committee: Professor Janet D. Keller, Chair Professor Walter Feinberg Associate Professor Michèle Koven Professor Alejandro Lugo Professor Andrew Orta ABSTRACT This dissertation investigates the normative construction of a politics of language and community in north-west Wales (United Kingdom). It is based on ethnographic fieldwork conducted primarily between January 2007 and April 2008, with central participant-observation settings in primary-level state schools and in the teaching-spaces and hallways of a university. Its primary finding is an account of the gap between the national visibility and the cultural (in)visibility communities of speakers of the indigenous language of Wales (Cymraeg, or “Welsh”). With one exception, no public discourse has yet emerged in Wales that provides an explicit framework or vocabulary for describing the cultural community that is anchored in Cymraeg. One has to live those meanings even to know about them. The range of social categories for living those meanings tends to be constructed in ordinary conversations as some form of nationalism, whether political, cultural, or language nationalism. Further, the negatively valenced category of nationalism current in English-speaking Britain is in tension with the positively valenced category of nationalism current among many who move within Cymraeg- speaking communities. Thus, the very politics of identity are themselves political since the line between what is political and what is not, is itself subject to controversy.
    [Show full text]