DOCSLIB.ORG

5.3 Sgaw Karen Consonant Phonetics and Allophonic Variation

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text

Load more

Sgaw Karen as spoken by a member of the local North Carolina Karen community: a phonetic analysis and phonemic description Lúcia Lopes Fischer with the assistance of Tri Sa A thesis submitted to the faculty of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in partial fulfillment of the requirements of the degree of Master of Arts in the Department of Linguistics. Chapel Hill 2013 Approved by: Elliott Moreton David Mora Marín Jennifer Smith © 2013 Lúcia Lopes Fischer ALL RIGHTS RESERVED ii ABSTRACT LUCIA LOPES FISCHER: Sgaw Karen as spoken by a member of the local North Carolina Karen community: a phonetic analysis and phonemic description (Under the direction of Elliott Moreton) This thesis describes some of the phonetic characteristics and provides a phonemic analysis of Sgaw Karen, a Tibeto-Burman language, as spoken by a community member in central North Carolina. All of the segments are analyzed in terms of minimal pairs in order to establish phonemicity. Additionally, vowels are described in terms of their formant frequencies, tones are described using their F0, and consonants are compared through spectrograms. Lastly, the structure of syllables is delimited and consonant clusters are discussed. Throughout, the findings for the native speaker consultant’s dialect are compared to the three other dialects documented in the literature: Moulmein Sgaw (Jones 1961), Bassein Sgaw (Jones 1961), and Yangon Sgaw (Lar 2001). iii Aos meus pais, Josi Ane e Valdemar, e a minha irmã Natasha, que me apresentaram a felicidade na vida e ao caminho da honestidade e persistência. Sem vocês nenhuma conquista valeria a pena. To my parents, Josi Ane and Valdemar, and my sister Natasha, who introduced me to the joy in life and to the path of honesty and persistence. Without you no achievement would be worth it. iv ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I would like to thank the department of linguistics at UNC-CH for an interesting undergraduate and graduate experience, especially the faculty for inspiring me to pursue linguistics. I would like to thank Paul Roberge who has been a mentor since I first started at UNC, and who has only made my love for language grow and has shown me the fun in vikings. Likewise, to Elliott Moreton who has been my mentor throughout my exploration of phonetics and who has inspired me to pursue a career in the study of sounds. I would like to extend an immeasurable thank you to my thesis committee: Elliott Moreton, Jen Smith, and David Mora-Marín. Your endless patience, feedback, and insights have helped build this project (and improve it!), and I appreciate all of the time and effort you put into shaping me into a better linguist. This project would not have been possible without you! I would also like to extend an enthusiastic thank you to my wonderful native speaker consultant Ms. Tri Sa, without whose never-ending patience and knack for language this project would not have been possible. Thank you for spending countless hours with us recording in the at-times stuffy soundproof booth! A special thanks to the Juanita Melchert Fund who funded the project and without whose support I would not have been able to work with Ms. Tri Sa. I would like to thank Chris Wiesen at the Odum Institute who performed all of the statistical analysis of the data. v Many thanks to my colleagues and fellow linguists-in-arms, the linguistics graduate students. Especially to Jen Griffin and Amy Reynolds, with whom I shared a third “home,” and Kline Gilbert, Emily Moeng, and Caleb Hicks. You have provided advice, support, and a sounding board throughout this project and I am thankful for your help and support! A very special thanks to Mary Kohn for helping me with the vowel analysis and Praat scripting. I would have had to do so much more work without your help! I would also like to thank all of my friends (non-linguists and linguists alike) who have provided entertainment, support, and encouragement throughout this year. I would like to thank Adam Smith for endless support, conversations, and pep talks. I would also like to sincerely thank my sister Natasha for always having my back and supporting me in everything I want to do, especially in stressful times. You motivate me to be better! Lastly, but always first in my heart, I would like to extend a heartfelt thank you to my parents Josi and Valdemar, for helping me to get where I am today and for always being supportive of what I do. I wouldn’t be here today if it weren’t for you! Thank you! vi TABLE OF CONTENTS 1. INTRODUCTION ...............................................................................................1 1.1 Sgaw Karen in the United States and North Carolina .................................2 1.2 Meet the native speaker consultant .............................................................2 1.3 Overview of the word-order typology of Sgaw Karen ...............................4 1.4 Previously described dialects and points of distinction ..............................6 1.5 Scope of the study....................................................................................... 7 2. ELICITATION METHODOLOGY .....................................................................9 2.1 Data collection ............................................................................................9 2.2 Data analysis ...............................................................................................11 3. VOWELS .............................................................................................................12 3.1 Sgaw Karen vowel phonology.................................................................... 12 3.1.1 Previous research ............................................................................12 3.1.2 Data collection ................................................................................14 3.1.3 Data analysis ...................................................................................14 3.1.4 Phonological analysis...................................................................... 15 3.2 Sgaw Karen vowel phonetics...................................................................... 16 3.2.1 Previous research ............................................................................16 3.2.2 Data collection ................................................................................17 3.2.3 Data analysis ...................................................................................18 3.2.4 Phonetic analysis............................................................................. 20 vii 3.3 Vowel system summary ..............................................................................25 4. TONES .................................................................................................................26 4.1 Sgaw Karen tonal phonology...................................................................... 26 4.1.1 Previous research ............................................................................26 4.1.2 Data collection ................................................................................30 4.1.3 Data analysis ...................................................................................31 4.1.4 Phonological analysis...................................................................... 31 4.2 Sgaw Karen tonal phonetics........................................................................ 35 4.2.1 Previous research ............................................................................35 4.2.2 Data collection ................................................................................37 4.2.3 Data analysis ...................................................................................37 4.2.4 Phonetic analysis............................................................................. 40 4.2.5 Comparison of TS tones with those found in previously studied dialects of Sgaw Karen.......................................................................................... 52 4.2.6 Vowel duration ................................................................................57 4.3 Tones 2 and 5 ..............................................................................................59 4.5 Tone phonemic summary............................................................................ 62 5. CONSONANTS ...................................................................................................64 5.1 Introduction to the consonantal phonemic inventory for each dialect ........64 5.2.1 Previously described dialects: MS, BS, and YS.............................. 64 5.2.2 Summary of consonant phonemic inventory for TS’s dialect .........69 5.2 Sgaw Karen consonant phonology .............................................................70 5.2.1 Data collection ................................................................................70 5.2.2 Data analysis ...................................................................................71 viii 5.2.3 Phonological analysis...................................................................... 72 5.3 Sgaw Karen consonant phonetics and allophonic variation ........................74 5.3.1 Data collection ................................................................................75 5.3.2 Data analysis ...................................................................................75 5.3.3 Stops................................................................................................ 76 5.3.4 Fricatives........................................................................................
Recommended publications
  • Sino-Tibetan Languages 393

    Sino-Tibetan Languages 393

    Sino-Tibetan Languages 393 Gair J W (1998). Studies in South Asian linguistics: Sinhala Government Press. [Reprinted Sri Lanka Sahitya and other South Asian languages. Oxford: Oxford Uni- Mandalaya, Colombo: 1962.] versity Press. Karunatillake W S (1992). An introduction to spoken Sin- Gair J W & Karunatillake W S (1974). Literary Sinhala. hala. Colombo: Gunasena. Ithaca, NY: Cornell University South Asia Program. Karunatillake W S (2001). Historical phonology of Sinha- Gair J W & Karunatillake W S (1976). Literary Sinhala lese: from old Indo-Aryan to the 14th century AD. inflected forms: a synopsis with a transliteration guide to Colombo: S. Godage and Brothers. Sinhala script. Ithaca, NY: Cornell University South Asia Macdougall B G (1979). Sinhala: basic course. Program. Washington D.C.: Foreign Service Institute, Department Gair J W & Paolillo J C (1997). Sinhala (Languages of the of State. world/materials 34). Mu¨ nchen: Lincom. Matzel K & Jayawardena-Moser P (2001). Singhalesisch: Gair J W, Karunatillake W S & Paolillo J C (1987). Read- Eine Einfu¨ hrung. Wiesbaden: Harrassowitz. ings in colloquial Sinhala. Ithaca, NY: Cornell University Reynolds C H B (ed.) (1970). An anthology of Sinhalese South Asia Program. literature up to 1815. London: George Allen and Unwin Geiger W (1938). A grammar of the Sinhalese language. (English translations). Colombo: Royal Asiatic Society. Reynolds C H B (ed.) (1987). An anthology of Sinhalese Godakumbura C E (1955). Sinhalese literature. Colombo: literature of the twentieth century. Woodchurch, Kent: Colombo Apothecaries Ltd. Paul Norbury/Unesco (English translations). Gunasekara A M (1891). A grammar of the Sinhalese Reynolds C H B (1995). Sinhalese: an introductory course language.
  • Languages of Myanmar

    Languages of Myanmar

    Ethnologue report for Myanmar Page 1 of 20 Languages of Myanmar [See also SIL publications on the languages of Myanmar.] Union of Myanmar, Pyeidaungzu Myanma Naingngandaw. Formerly Burma. 42,720,196. Speakers of Tibeto-Burman languages: 28,877,000 or 78% of the population, Daic languages 2,778,900 or 9.6%, Austro- Asiatic languages 1,934,900 or 6.7%, Hmong-Mien languages 6,000 (1991 J. Matisoff). National or official language: Burmese. Literacy rate: 66% to 78%; 78.5% over 15 years old (1991). Also includes Eastern Tamang, Geman Deng, Iu Mien, Malay (21,000), Sylheti, Chinese (1,015,000), people from Bangladesh and India (500,000). Information mainly from F. Lebar, G. Hickey, J. Musgrave 1964; A. Hale 1982; B. Comrie 1987; R. B. Jones 1988; J. Matisoff et al. 1996; D. Bradley 1997; R. Burling ms. (1998). Blind population: 214,440. Deaf population: 2,684,514. Deaf institutions: 1. The number of languages listed for Myanmar is 109. Of those, 108 are living languages and 1 is extinct. Living languages Achang [acn] 1,700 in Myanmar (1983). West of the Irrawaddy River in Katha District, near Banmauk, scattered among the Lashi. Along the China border. Alternate names: Anchan, Chung, Atsang, Acang, Ngac'ang, Ngachang, Ngochang, Mönghsa, Tai Sa'. Dialects: Maingtha. Classification: Sino-Tibetan, Tibeto- Burman, Lolo-Burmese, Burmish, Northern More information. Akha [ahk] 200,000 in Myanmar (1991 UBS). Population total all countries: 449,261. Eastern part of Kengtung Shan State. Also spoken in China, Laos, Thailand, Viet Nam. Alternate names: Kaw, Ekaw, Ko, Aka, Ikaw, Ak'a, Ahka, Khako, Kha Ko, Khao Kha Ko, Ikor, Aini, Yani.
  • 9 to Which Language Family Does Chinese Belong, Or What's in a Name?

    9 to Which Language Family Does Chinese Belong, Or What's in a Name?

    9 To which language family does Chinese belong, or what's in a name? George van Driem There are at least five competing theories about the linguistic prehistory of Chinese. Two of them, Tibeto-Burman and Sino-Tibetan, originated in the beginning of the 19th century. Sino-Caucasian and Sino-Austronesian are products of the second half of the 20th century, and East Asian is an intriguing model presented in 2001. These terms designate distinct models of language relationship with divergent implications for the peopling of East Asia. What are the substantive differences between the models? How do the paradigms differently inform the direction of linguistic investigation and differently shape the formulation of research topics? What empirical evidence can compel us to decide between the theories? Which of the theories is the default hypothesis, and why? How can terminology be used in a judicious manner to avoid unwittingly presupposing the veracity of improbable or, at best, unsupported propositions? 1. The default hypothesis: Tibeto-Burman The first rigorous polyphyletic exposition of Asian linguistic stocks was presented in Paris by the German scholar Julius Heinrich von Klaproth in 1823. 1 His Asia Polyglotta was more comprehensive, extended beyond the confines ofthe Russian Empire and included major languages of East Asia, Southeast Asia and Polar America. Based on a systematic comparison of lexical roots, Klaproth identified and distinguished twenty-three Asian linguistic stocks, which he knew did not represent an exhaustive inventory. Yet he argued for a smaller number of phyla because he recognized the genetic affinity between certain of these stocks and the distinct nature of others.
  • Myanmar ­ Languages | Ethnologue

    Myanmar ­ Languages | Ethnologue

    7/24/2016 Myanmar ­ Languages | Ethnologue Myanmar LANGUAGES Akeu [aeu] Shan State, Kengtung and Mongla townships. 1,000 in Myanmar (2004 E. Johnson). Status: 5 (Developing). Alternate Names: Akheu, Aki, Akui. Classi囕cation: Sino-Tibetan, Tibeto-Burman, Ngwi-Burmese, Ngwi, Southern. Comments: Non-indigenous. More Information Akha [ahk] Shan State, east Kengtung district. 200,000 in Myanmar (Bradley 2007a). Total users in all countries: 563,960. Status: 3 (Wider communication). Alternate Names: Ahka, Aini, Aka, Ak’a, Ekaw, Ikaw, Ikor, Kaw, Kha Ko, Khako, Khao Kha Ko, Ko, Yani. Dialects: Much dialectal variation; some do not understand each other. Classi囕cation: Sino-Tibetan, Tibeto-Burman, Ngwi-Burmese, Ngwi, Southern. More Information Anal [anm] Sagaing: Tamu town, 10 households. 50 in Myanmar (2010). Status: 6b (Threatened). Alternate Names: Namfau. Classi囕cation: Sino-Tibetan, Tibeto-Burman, Sal, Kuki-Chin-Naga, Kuki-Chin, Northern. Comments: Non- indigenous. Christian. More Information Anong [nun] Northern Kachin State, mainly Kawnglangphu township. 400 in Myanmar (2000 D. Bradley), decreasing. Ethnic population: 10,000 (Bradley 2007b). Total users in all countries: 450. Status: 7 (Shifting). Alternate Names: Anoong, Anu, Anung, Fuchve, Fuch’ye, Khingpang, Kwingsang, Kwinp’ang, Naw, Nawpha, Nu. Dialects: Slightly di㨽erent dialects of Anong spoken in China and Myanmar, although no reported diഡculty communicating with each other. Low inherent intelligibility with the Matwang variety of Rawang [raw]. Lexical similarity: 87%–89% with Anong in Myanmar and Anong in China, 73%–76% with T’rung [duu], 77%–83% with Matwang variety of Rawang [raw]. Classi囕cation: Sino-Tibetan, Tibeto-Burman, Central Tibeto-Burman, Nungish. Comments: Di㨽erent from Nung (Tai family) of Viet Nam, Laos, and China, and from Chinese Nung (Cantonese) of Viet Nam.
  • UC Berkeley Dissertations, Department of Linguistics

    UC Berkeley Dissertations, Department of Linguistics

    UC Berkeley Dissertations, Department of Linguistics Title Proto-Kuki-Chin Permalink https://escholarship.org/uc/item/5283829m Author VanBik, Kenneth Publication Date 2006 eScholarship.org Powered by the California Digital Library University of California Proto-Kuki-Chin bY Kenneth VanBik B.S. (University of Yangon, Burma) 1985 M.A. (American Bapt. Sem. of the West, Berkeley) 1993 M.A. (University of California, Berkeley) 2000 A dissertation submitted in partial satisfaction of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Linguistics in the Graduate Division of the University of California, Berkeley Committee in charge: Professor James A. Matisoff, Chair Professor Gary Holland Professor Ian Maddieson Professor Johanna Nichols Spring 2006 Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. 1 Abstract Proto-Kuki-Chin by Kenneth VanBik Doctor of Philosophy in Linguistics University of California, Berkeley Professor James A. Matisoff, Chair The Kuki-Chin languages constitute one of the most important subgroups of the great Tibeto-Burman family. This dissertation attempts to reconstruct the sound system of the ancestor language, Proto-Kuki-Chin, by comparing the initial consonants, rhymes, and nominal tones of a large number of KC languages. This study of Proto-Kuki-Chin depends primarily on twelve languages: three from the Central Chin group: Mizo (aka Lushai), Hakha Lai, and Falam Lai; four from the Southem- Plains Chin group: Mindat Cho, Daai, Asho (aka Plains Chin), and Khumi; four from the Northern Chin group: Tedim (aka Tiddim), Paite, Thado-Kuki, and Sizang; and finally one from the Maraic group, namely Mara (aka Lakher). Chapter 1 introduces the Kuki-Chin speakers and their geographical locations, and traces the etymologies of the names Kuki and Chin.
  • The Syllable in Kuki-Chin

    The Syllable in Kuki-Chin

    JSALL 2020; aop Samson Lotven*, Kelly Berkson, James C. Wamsley, Jillian Danaher, Kenneth Van Bik and Stuart Davis The syllable in Kuki-Chin https://doi.org/10.1515/jsall-2019-2014 Abstract: The Kuki-Chin group of the Tibeto-Burman language family consists of upwards of 50 languages spoken mainly in western Myanmar, predominantly in Chin State and in neighboring areas of India and Bangladesh (Simons & Fennig (eds.). 2019. Ethnologue: Languages of the world, 21st edn. Dallas Texas: SIL International. Online version. http://www.ethnologue.com/). In the many daugh- ter languages of Proto–Kuki-Chin, syllable structure simplification has yielded a synchronic situation in which individual languages are spread along a cline ranging from more conservative languages, some with complex onsets and vowel length distinctions, to more innovative languages, some with no coda consonants at all. The distribution and phonetic realization of these features vary across the Kuki-Chin group, raising a number of relevant questions about the underlying phonological representations of the Kuki-Chin syllable. This paper surveys representative structures from a variety of Kuki-Chin languages in order to highlight issues in syllable structure across these little-studied languages. In doing so, we aim to both unify observations on Kuki-Chin phonology related to the syllable, and to propose research that will further elucidate its structures. Keywords: Kuki-Chin, syllable structure, cluster simplification, voiceless sonor- ants, lateral Obstruents 1 Introduction The Kuki-Chin languages (Tibeto-Burman) show diverse syllable structure inven- tories. From the Southern Chin languages, which contain complex onsets and nasal pre-syllables, to the Maraic languages, which lack consonant clusters and *Corresponding author: Samson Lotven, Department of Linguistics, Indiana University Bloomington, Ballantine Hall, 1020 E.
  • UCLA Electronic Theses and Dissertations

    UCLA Electronic Theses and Dissertations

    UCLA UCLA Electronic Theses and Dissertations Title Essays on Development and Political Economy Permalink https://escholarship.org/uc/item/38x1c5hw Author Di Miceli, Andrea Publication Date 2017 Peer reviewed|Thesis/dissertation eScholarship.org Powered by the California Digital Library University of California UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA Los Angeles Essays on Development and Political Economics A dissertation submitted in partial satisfaction of the requirements for the degree Doctor of Philosophy in Management by Andrea Di Miceli 2017 ABSTRACT OF THE DISSERTATION Essays on Development and Political Economy by Andrea Di Miceli Doctor of Philosophy in Management University of California, Los Angeles, 2017 Professor Romain T. Wacziarg, Chair My dissertation studies the determinants of conflict and state formation as well as how national identities influence individuals’ decisions. It consists of three chapters. The first, “Chasing the Key Player: A Network Approach to the Myanmar Civil War” studies the determinants of civil conflict in Myanmar. As governments in weak states often face several armed groups, they have to allocate resources to fight a subset of them strategi- cally. I use a simple model to embed heterogeneity among rebel groups stemming from their network of alliances and enmities. The key insight is that, by attacking a group, the Myanmar army weakens its allies. Therefore, the model predicts that the Myanmar army strategically targets armed groups who are central in the network of alliances. To test the model’s predictions, I collect a new data set on rebel groups’ locations, alliances, and enmities for the period 1989-2015. Using geo-referenced information on armed groups attacked by the Myanmar army, the empirical evidence strongly supports the predictions ii of the model.
  • Towards Universal Education in Myanmar's Ethnic Areas

    Towards Universal Education in Myanmar's Ethnic Areas

    Strength in Diversity: Towards Universal Education in Myanmar’s Ethnic Areas Kim Jolliffe and Emily Speers Mears October 2016 1 Acknowledgements The authors would like to thank all of the ethnic basic education providers that have worked for many years to serve their communities. In particular, the Karen Education Department, Karen Teacher Working Group, Mon National Education Committee and Department, and the Rural Development Foundation of Shan State and associates, all gave their time, resources, advice and consideration to make this report possible. Additionally, World Education, Myanmar Education Consortium, UNICEF, Child’s Dream, Save the Children, and all at the Education Thematic Working Group have been instrumental in the development of this work, providing information on their programs, making introductions, discussing their own strengths and challenges, providing feedback on initial findings, and helping to paint a deeper picture of what international support to ethnic basic education looks like. In particular, big thank yous to Dr. Win Aung, Aye Aye Tun, Dr. Thein Lwin (formerly worked for the Ministry of Education), Craig Nightingale, Amanda Seel, Catherine Daly, and Andrea Costa for reviewing early drafts of the paper and providing invaluable feedback, which has helped the report grow and develop considerably. About the Authors Having worked in Southeast Asia for over eight years, Kim Jolliffe is an independent researcher, writer, analyst and trainer, specializing in security, aid policy, and ethnic politics in Myanmar/Burma. He is the lead researcher on the Social Services in Contested Areas (SSCA) research project. Emily Speers Mears is a researcher and policy adviser specializing in education and conflict in fragile states.
  • Himalayan Linguistics Word Formation in Thadou

    Himalayan Linguistics Word Formation in Thadou

    Himalayan Linguistics Word formation in Thadou Pauthang Haokip Assam University, Silchar ABSTRACT This paper attempts to discuss word formation in Thadou, a Tibeto-Burman language of the Kuki-Chin subgroup spoken by around 231, 200 (Lewis 2009) speakers of northeast India and Myanmar. This paper discusses three processes that are relevant for word formation in Thadou: affixation, compounding and reduplication. Thadou like the other Kuki-Chin languages of the region is an agglutinative language in which almost all the syllable boundary corresponds to morpheme boundary. Most words in Thadou tend to be largely monosyllabic, but even with bisyllabic words, it is not difficult to segment the various morphemes which composed a bisyllabic word. KEYWORDS word formation, Thadou, Kuki-Chin, Tibeto-Burman language This is a contribution from Himalayan Linguistics, Vol. 13(1): 58-82. ISSN 1544-7502 © 2014. All rights reserved. This Portable Document Format (PDF) file may not be altered in any way. Tables of contents, abstracts, and submission guidelines are available at escholarship.org/uc/himalayanlinguistics Himalayan Linguistics, Vol. 13(1). © Himalayan Linguistics 2014 ISSN 1544-7502 Word formation in Thadou1 Pauthang Haokip Assam University, Silchar 1 Introduction Thadou (ISO 639-3: TCZ) is a Tibeto-Burman language of the Kuki-Chin group spoken in Northeast India (Manipur, Nagaland and Assam) and Myanmar. Thadou is mutually intelligible with Paite, Simte, Gantge, Vaiphei and Zou (Haokip 2011) and closely related to Hmar and Mizo. Hence, much of what is discussed here equally applies to the other Kuki-Chin languages spoken in the neighbourhood. There is a robust body of literature on the phonology of Thadou, but its morphology and syntax have not received much attention.
  • Proto-Kuki-Chin Initials According to Toru Ohno and Kenneth Vanbik

    Proto-Kuki-Chin Initials According to Toru Ohno and Kenneth Vanbik

    View metadata, citation and similar papers at core.ac.uk brought to you by CORE provided by The Australian National University Nathan W. HILL 2014. Proto-Kuki-Chin initials according to Toru Ohno and Kenneth VanBik. Journal of the Southeast Asian Linguistics Society (JSEALS) 7:11-30 Received 18/1/2014, revised text accepted 21/4/2014, published May 2014. URL: http://hdl.handle.net/1885/11580 ISSN: 1836-6821 | Website: http://jseals.org Editor-In-Chief Dr Paul Sidwell | Managing Editor Dr Peter Jenks Asia-Pacific Copyright vested in the author; released under Creative Commons Attribution Licence Linguistics www.jseals.org | Volume 7 | 2014 | Asia-Pacific Linguistics PROTO-KUKI-CHIN INITIALS ACCORDING TO TORU OHNO AND KENNETH VANBIK Nathan W. Hill 1 SOAS, University of London <[email protected]> Abstract Relying on the legacy of Ohno (1965), several scholars have made more recent forays into the reconstruction of Kuki-Chin initials (Khoi 2001, VanBik 2009, Button 2011). A comparison of Ohno’s and VanBik’s systems permits an overview of progress made so far. VanBik accepts all of Ohno’s correspondences, adding a few of his own. Mizo provides a convenient language to contrast their proposals in detail. As the source of Mizo f-, Löffler’s *dz- has advantages over Ohno’s *ź- [ʒ-] and VanBik’s *θ-. VanBik’s is right to distinguish *s- and *sʰ, although the phonetic value of *sʰ is not clear. The evidence for his *pr- and *phr- is unsatisfactory. In light of their importance, I propose to name two sound laws (*kr, *kl > ṭ- [ʈ], tl - ‘Ohno’s law’ and *r > g- ‘Shafer’s law’).
  • Verb Stem Alternation in Vaiphei

    Verb Stem Alternation in Vaiphei

    Portland State University PDXScholar Dissertations and Theses Dissertations and Theses Spring 7-6-2018 Verb Stem Alternation in Vaiphei Jesse Prichard Portland State University Follow this and additional works at: https://pdxscholar.library.pdx.edu/open_access_etds Part of the Linguistics Commons Let us know how access to this document benefits ou.y Recommended Citation Prichard, Jesse, "Verb Stem Alternation in Vaiphei" (2018). Dissertations and Theses. Paper 4470. https://doi.org/10.15760/etd.6354 This Thesis is brought to you for free and open access. It has been accepted for inclusion in Dissertations and Theses by an authorized administrator of PDXScholar. Please contact us if we can make this document more accessible: [email protected]. Verbal Stem Alternation in Vaiphei by Jesse Andrew Prichard A thesis submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts in Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages Thesis Committee: Tucker Childs, Chair Jennifer Mittelstaedt Lynn Santelmann Portland State University 2018 © 2018 Jesse Andrew Prichard VERB STEM ALTERNATION IN VAIPHEI i Abstract This thesis describes the form and function of verb stem alternations (VSAs) in Vaiphei, a Kuki-Chin (KC) language belonging to the larger Tibeto-Burman branch of the Sino-Tibetan language family. In the existing literature on Vaiphei and Kuki-Chin verb stem alternations, there is no treatment of the form and function of Vaiphei verb stem alternations and how they may be used in classifying Vaiphei in the broader Northern Kuki-Chin language family. I document the form and function of Vaiphei verb stem alternations, showing how these compare to other Northern Kuki-Chin languages and where to classify Vaiphei in Northern Kuki-Chin.
  • An Austronesian Language of the West New Britain Province, Papua New Guinea

    An Austronesian Language of the West New Britain Province, Papua New Guinea

    Grammar of Kove: an Austronesian language of the West New Britain province, Papua New Guinea A DISSERTATION SUBMITTED TO THE GRADUATE DIVISION OF THE UNIVERSITY OF HAWAI‘I AT MĀNOA IN PARTIAL FULFILLMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE DEGREE OF DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY IN LINGUISTICS DECEMBER 2013 By Hiroko Sato Dissertation Committee: Robert Blust, Chairperson Lyle Campbell Alex Golub Yuko Otsuka Kenneth Rehg Dedicated to Elizabeth Mete ii Acknowledgements First, my thanks go to Stephen Keu. It was Stephen who introduced me to the Kove language, while he was a student at Chiba University. And it was Stephen who arranged for me to stay and work in Kove, as well as introducing me to his late sister Elizabeth Mete, who became my first language consultant, and his brother-in-law, Luke Mara, who became my primary language consultant after Elizabeth died. Meeting with Stephen changed my life and led me to work in the field of linguistics as my academic career. Without his support, my research on the Kove language would not have been accomplished. Many people have contributed to my work over the years. I am grateful to the Kove community, especially the people of both Kapo and Nutanovua village. They always welcomed me and treated me as a member of their community. I was able to feel that I had a “home” in Kove. I am particularly grateful to my language consultants, John Enos, Edward Meli, Felix Mondo, and John Bole, and especially to my first language consultant, the late Elizabeth Mete, and my primary language consultant, Luke Mara.