A Grammar of Pacoh: a Mon-Khmer Language of the Central Highlands of Vietnam

Total Page:16

File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb

A Grammar of Pacoh: a Mon-Khmer Language of the Central Highlands of Vietnam A grammar of Pacoh: a Mon-Khmer language of the central highlands of Vietnam Pacific Linguistics 580 Pacific Linguistics is a publisher specialising in grammars and linguistic descriptions, dictionaries and other materials on languages of the Pacific, Taiwan, the Philippines, Indonesia, East Timor, southeast and south Asia, and Australia. Pacific Linguistics, established in 1963 through an initial grant from the Hunter Douglas Fund, is associated with the Research School of Pacific and Asian Studies at The Australian National University. The authors and editors of Pacific Linguistics publications are drawn from a wide range of institutions around the world. Publications are refereed by scholars with relevant expertise, who are usually not members of the editorial board. FOUNDING EDITOR: Stephen A. Wurm EDITORIAL BOARD: John Bowden, Malcolm Ross and Darrell Tryon (Managing Editors), I Wayan Arka, David Nash, Andrew Pawley, Paul Sidwell, Jane Simpson EDITORIAL ADVISORY BOARD: Karen Adams, Arizona State University Lillian Huang, National Taiwan Normal Alexander Adelaar, University of Melbourne University Peter Austin, School of Oriental and African Bambang Kaswanti Purwo, Universitas Atma Studies Jaya Byron Bender, University of Hawai‘i Marian Klamer, Universiteit Leiden Walter Bisang, Johannes Gutenberg- Harold Koch, The Australian National Universität Mainz University Robert Blust, University of Hawai‘i Frantisek Lichtenberk, University of David Bradley, La Trobe University Auckland Lyle Campbell, University of Utah John Lynch, University of the South Pacific James Collins, Universiti Kebangsaan Patrick McConvell, Australian Institute of Malaysia Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Bernard Comrie, Max Planck Institute for Studies Evolutionary Anthropology William McGregor, Aarhus Universitet Soenjono Dardjowidjojo, Universitas Atma Ulrike Mosel, Christian-Albrechts- Jaya Universität zu Kiel Matthew Dryer, State University of New York Claire Moyse-Faurie, Centre National de la at Buffalo Recherche Scientifique Jerold A. Edmondson, University of Texas Bernd Nothofer, Johann Wolfgang Goethe- at Arlington Universität Frankfurt am Main Nicholas Evans, University of Melbourne Ger Reesink, Universiteit Leiden Margaret Florey, Monash University Lawrence Reid, University of Hawai‘i William Foley, University of Sydney Jean-Claude Rivierre, Centre National de la Karl Franklin, Summer Institute of Recherche Scientifique Linguistics Melenaite Taumoefolau, University of Charles Grimes, Universitas Kristen Artha Auckland Wacana Kupang Tasaku Tsunoda, University of Tokyo Nikolaus Himmelmann, Ruhr-Universität John Wolff, Cornell University Bochum Elizabeth Zeitoun, Academica Sinica A grammar of Pacoh: a Mon-Khmer language of the central highlands of Vietnam Mark J. Alves Pacific Linguistics Research School of Pacific and Asian Studies The Australian National University Published by Pacific Linguistics Research School of Pacific and Asian Studies The Australian National University Canberra ACT 0200 Australia Copyright in this edition is vested with Pacific Linguistics First published 2006 National Library of Australia Cataloguing-in-Publication entry: Mark J. Alves A grammar of Pacoh: a Mon-Khmer language of the central highlands of Vietnam Bibliography. ISBN 0 85883 568 1 1. Pacoh language – Grammar. 2. Mon-Khmer languages – Vietnam – Grammar. 3. Vietnam – Languages. I. The Australian National University. Research School of Pacific and Asian Studies. Pacific Linguistics. II. Title. 495.93 Copyedited Bernadette Hince Typeset by Jeanette Coombes Cover design by Addcolour Digital Pty Ltd Printed and bound by Addcolour Digital Pty Ltd, Fyshwick, Canberra Table of contents List of tables and figures ix Acknowledgements xi List of abbreviations and special glosses xii 1 Introduction 1 1.1 Purpose and use of this grammar 1 1.2 Linguistic affiliation and Mon-Khmer typological characteristics 2 1.3 Pacoh linguistic situation and sociolinguistic matters 3 1.4 Previous research and data collection 3 1.5 Data analysis and concepts 4 2 Phonology 6 2.1 The system of transcription 6 2.2 Consonants 6 2.2.1 Consonant classes 7 2.2.1.1 The glottal stop 9 2.2.1.2 The palatal fricative 10 2.2.1.3 The post-glottalized glides 10 2.2.2 Conditioned changes 11 2.2.3 Nasal assimilation in presyllables 12 2.3 Vowels 13 2.3.1 Summary of the vowel system 13 2.3.2 Vowel length 14 2.3.3 The ‘altered’ register: [+RTR] vowels 14 2.3.4 Diphthongs 15 2.4 Phonological word and syllable structure 15 2.4.1 Overall syllable and word structure 17 2.4.2 Prosodic constraints 18 2.4.3 Phonotactic constraints 20 2.4.4 Sonorant presyllables: nasals and liquids 20 2.4.5 Consonant clusters 21 v vi 2.5 Reduplication 21 2.5.1 Template reduplication 23 2.5.2 Initial-C reduplication 24 2.5.3 Partial reduplication 24 2.5.4 Infix and template reduplication 24 2.6 Intonation 24 2.7 Loanword phonology 25 3 Morphology 27 3.1 Noun morphology 28 3.1.1 Common nouns 29 3.1.2 Kinship and animal noun word-formation 29 3.1.3 Pronoun morphology 30 3.1.4 Lexical compounds 31 3.1.5 Time-word morphology 32 3.2 Verb morphology 33 3.2.1 Causative verbs 33 3.2.2 Verbs with [/u-] and [/i-] pronominal prefixes 34 3.2.3 Plural stative verbs 35 3.2.4 Reciprocal verbs 35 3.2.5 Resultative adverbs 36 3.3 Reduplication 36 3.3.1 Clause-incorporative word-formation 36 3.3.2 Presyllable plus template reduplication 37 3.3.3 Template reduplication 38 4 Overview of basic phrase structure 39 4.1 Basic sentence structure 39 4.2 Complex sentence structure 42 4.3 Noun-phrase structure 43 4.4 Expressing relationships between nouns: prepositions and relator nouns 45 5 Adverbs 46 5.1 General adverbs 46 5.2 Intensifying adverb 48 5.3 Interrogative adverbs (‘how’ and ‘why’) 49 5.4 Result adverbs 49 5.5 Simultaneous adverb 50 vii 6 Conjunctions 51 6.1 Additive conjunction (‘and’) 51 6.2 Person conjunctions (‘and’) 52 6.3 Predicate-taking additive conjunction (‘and’) 53 6.4 Alternative conjunction (‘or’) 53 6.5 Contrast conjunction (‘but’) 53 7 Nouns 54 7.1 Common nouns 54 7.1.1 General common nouns 55 7.1.2 Human common nouns 56 7.1.3 Mass common nouns 56 7.1.4 Speech noun clauses 56 7.1.5 Proper common nouns 57 7.1.6 Semantically-generalized compound nouns 57 7.2 Count/unit nouns 57 7.2.1 General measure words 59 7.2.2 Countable time nouns 59 7.2.3 Classifiers 59 7.3 Pronouns and other pronominal nouns 60 7.3.1 Demonstrative pronouns 60 7.3.2 Indefinite and interrogative pronominal nouns 61 7.3.2.1 ‘Where’ and ‘wherever’ 63 7.3.2.2 ‘Who’ and ‘whoever’ 63 7.3.2.3 ‘What’, ‘whatever’, ‘which’, and ‘whichever’ 64 7.3.3 Personal pronouns 65 7.3.3.1 General pronouns 65 7.3.3.2 Possessive pronouns 66 7.3.3.3 Dative pronouns 67 7.3.4 Proper nouns: human pronouns 68 7.3.5 Social pronouns 68 7.4 Numerals and quantity nouns 70 7.4.1 Cardinal and ordinal numbers 71 7.4.2 Degree indefinite numerals 72 7.4.3 General and person indefinite numeral nouns 73 7.4.4 Interrogative numeral noun 73 7.4.5 Numerals without countable nouns 73 7.5 Relator nouns of location and possession 74 7.5.1 Dative relator nouns 74 7.5.2 Predicate-taking relator nouns 75 viii 7.5.3 Instrumental relator nouns 76 7.5.4 Locational relator nouns 76 7.5.5 Possessional relator nouns 77 7.6 Scope nouns 77 8 Prepositions 79 8.1 Comitative preposition 79 8.2 Comparative prepositions 79 8.3 Dative prepositions 80 8.4 Equative prepositions 80 8.5 Locational prepositions 81 8.6 VCT prepositions 82 8.6.1 Temporal prepositions 83 8.6.2 Purpose prepositions 83 9 Sentence particles 85 9.1 Aspect sentence particles (statements and questions) 85 9.2 Interrogative sentence particle 86 9.3 Clause-linking sentence particles 87 9.4 Comment sentence particles 89 9.5 Imperative sentence particle 90 9.6 Mood sentence particle 90 10 Basic verbs 91 10.1 Intransitive verbs 91 10.1.1 General intransitive verbs 91 10.1.2 Middle voice: inanimate-subject intransitive verbs 92 10.1.3 Reciprocal intransitive verbs 93 10.1.4 Stative intransitive verbs 93 10.2 Transitive verbs 95 10.2.1 General transitive verbs 95 10.2.2 Causative transitive verbs 96 10.2.3 Infinitival complement transitive verbs 96 10.2.4 Locative transitive verbs 97 10.3 Ditransitive verbs 97 10.4 Oblique-object verbs 99 10.4.1 General oblique object verbs 100 10.4.2 Speech and quote oblique-object verbs 100 10.4.3 Stative oblique-object verbs 101 10.4.3.1 Condition stative oblique-object verbs 101 10.4.3.2 Existence and possessive stative oblique-object verbs 102 ix 10.5 Impersonal oblique-object verbs 102 10.6 Locative verbs 103 11 Auxiliary verbs, SVCs, and VCT verbs 106 11.1 Aspectual VCT verbs 106 11.2 Auxiliary verbs 107 11.3 Causative VCT verbs 108 11.4 Ditransitive VCT verb 108 11.5 Motion intransitive VCT verbs 109 11.6 Negation: verb and noun negation VCT verbs 109 11.7 Stative VCT verbs 111 11.8 Thinking/speaking/feeling VCT verbs 111 11.9 Transitive VCT verbs 111 12 Glossary 113 12.1 Adverbs 113 12.2 Conjunctions 114 12.3 Common nouns 114 12.4 Numeral nouns 116 12.5 Pronouns 117 12.6 Relator nouns 117 12.7 Count/unit nouns and classifiers 117 12.8 Scope nouns 118 12.9 Prepositions 118 12.10 Sentence particles 119 12.11 Verbs 119 12.12 Auxiliary/SVC/VCT verbs 122 References 125 List of tables and figures Table 1: Pacoh consonants 7 Table 2: Distribution of Pacoh voiceless stops 7 Table 3: Distribution of Pacoh voiced stops 7 Table 4: Distribution of Pacoh aspirated stops 8 Table 5: Distribution of Pacoh fricatives 8 Table 6: Distribution of Pacoh nasals 8 Table 7: Distribution of Pacoh liquids 9 x Table 8: Distribution
Recommended publications
  • SEASSI Khmer Beginning Syllabus Languages and Cultures of Asia
    SEASSI Khmer Beginning Syllabus Languages and Cultures of Asia 307/008 is a year-long equivalent (two-semester) sequence designed to bring students up to “survival level” in standard spoken and written Khmer. Class will mostly consist of activities in which Khmer must be used to accomplish specific tasks relevant to the topical matter of the Unit, thus giving practical experience in using and hearing Khmer. There will also be lectures (in English) on various cultural and grammatical issues in Khmer, with a focus on how these issues relate to English and American culture). There will be lectures on the writing system and on common pronunciation problems as well. There will also be lots of “focused listening” practice, games, and songs. A playful and creative approach will be encouraged in the learning and practice of all four skills (speaking,Property listening, reading and writing) in Khmer, as well as Khmer culture. CORUSE REQUIREMENTS: Students will be evaluated according to the following criteria: 1. Overall Class Participation: 20% 2. Completion of homework/assignments: 30% 3. Quizzes: 20% 4. Mid-term exam (written and oral): 10% 5. Final exam (written and oral): 10% 6. Individual/group project: 10% NOTE: 1. Participation: Participation will be graded based on the following criteria: a. 4-5 well-prepared; engage to and fully participate in the classroom activities b. 2-3 present, but relatively passive of c. 1 significantly late (30 minutes after the class begins) or considerably disturb the class including using your phones. The use of phones, laptops and other gadgets in the classroom is limited to instruction or learning purposes.
    [Show full text]
  • Mon-Khmer Studies Volume 41
    Mon-Khmer Studies VOLUME 42 The journal of Austroasiatic languages and cultures Established 1964 Copyright for these papers vested in the authors Released under Creative Commons Attribution License Volume 42 Editors: Paul Sidwell Brian Migliazza ISSN: 0147-5207 Website: http://mksjournal.org Published in 2013 by: Mahidol University (Thailand) SIL International (USA) Contents Papers (Peer reviewed) K. S. NAGARAJA, Paul SIDWELL, Simon GREENHILL A Lexicostatistical Study of the Khasian Languages: Khasi, Pnar, Lyngngam, and War 1-11 Michelle MILLER A Description of Kmhmu’ Lao Script-Based Orthography 12-25 Elizabeth HALL A phonological description of Muak Sa-aak 26-39 YANIN Sawanakunanon Segment timing in certain Austroasiatic languages: implications for typological classification 40-53 Narinthorn Sombatnan BEHR A comparison between the vowel systems and the acoustic characteristics of vowels in Thai Mon and BurmeseMon: a tendency towards different language types 54-80 P. K. CHOUDHARY Tense, Aspect and Modals in Ho 81-88 NGUYỄN Anh-Thư T. and John C. L. INGRAM Perception of prominence patterns in Vietnamese disyllabic words 89-101 Peter NORQUEST A revised inventory of Proto Austronesian consonants: Kra-Dai and Austroasiatic Evidence 102-126 Charles Thomas TEBOW II and Sigrid LEW A phonological description of Western Bru, Sakon Nakhorn variety, Thailand 127-139 Notes, Reviews, Data-Papers Jonathan SCHMUTZ The Ta’oi Language and People i-xiii Darren C. GORDON A selective Palaungic linguistic bibliography xiv-xxxiii Nathaniel CHEESEMAN, Jennifer
    [Show full text]
  • LCSH Section K
    K., Rupert (Fictitious character) Motion of K stars in line of sight Ka-đai language USE Rupert (Fictitious character : Laporte) Radial velocity of K stars USE Kadai languages K-4 PRR 1361 (Steam locomotive) — Orbits Ka’do Herdé language USE 1361 K4 (Steam locomotive) UF Galactic orbits of K stars USE Herdé language K-9 (Fictitious character) (Not Subd Geog) K stars—Galactic orbits Ka’do Pévé language UF K-Nine (Fictitious character) BT Orbits USE Pévé language K9 (Fictitious character) — Radial velocity Ka Dwo (Asian people) K 37 (Military aircraft) USE K stars—Motion in line of sight USE Kadu (Asian people) USE Junkers K 37 (Military aircraft) — Spectra Ka-Ga-Nga script (May Subd Geog) K 98 k (Rifle) K Street (Sacramento, Calif.) UF Script, Ka-Ga-Nga USE Mauser K98k rifle This heading is not valid for use as a geographic BT Inscriptions, Malayan K.A.L. Flight 007 Incident, 1983 subdivision. Ka-houk (Wash.) USE Korean Air Lines Incident, 1983 BT Streets—California USE Ozette Lake (Wash.) K.A. Lind Honorary Award K-T boundary Ka Iwi National Scenic Shoreline (Hawaii) USE Moderna museets vänners skulpturpris USE Cretaceous-Paleogene boundary UF Ka Iwi Scenic Shoreline Park (Hawaii) K.A. Linds hederspris K-T Extinction Ka Iwi Shoreline (Hawaii) USE Moderna museets vänners skulpturpris USE Cretaceous-Paleogene Extinction BT National parks and reserves—Hawaii K-ABC (Intelligence test) K-T Mass Extinction Ka Iwi Scenic Shoreline Park (Hawaii) USE Kaufman Assessment Battery for Children USE Cretaceous-Paleogene Extinction USE Ka Iwi National Scenic Shoreline (Hawaii) K-B Bridge (Palau) K-TEA (Achievement test) Ka Iwi Shoreline (Hawaii) USE Koro-Babeldaod Bridge (Palau) USE Kaufman Test of Educational Achievement USE Ka Iwi National Scenic Shoreline (Hawaii) K-BIT (Intelligence test) K-theory Ka-ju-ken-bo USE Kaufman Brief Intelligence Test [QA612.33] USE Kajukenbo K.
    [Show full text]
  • The Aslian Languages of Malaysia and Thailand: an Assessment
    Language Documentation and Description ISSN 1740-6234 ___________________________________________ This article appears in: Language Documentation and Description, vol 11. Editors: Stuart McGill & Peter K. Austin The Aslian languages of Malaysia and Thailand: an assessment GEOFFREY BENJAMIN Cite this article: Geoffrey Benjamin (2012). The Aslian languages of Malaysia and Thailand: an assessment. In Stuart McGill & Peter K. Austin (eds) Language Documentation and Description, vol 11. London: SOAS. pp. 136-230 Link to this article: http://www.elpublishing.org/PID/131 This electronic version first published: July 2014 __________________________________________________ This article is published under a Creative Commons License CC-BY-NC (Attribution-NonCommercial). The licence permits users to use, reproduce, disseminate or display the article provided that the author is attributed as the original creator and that the reuse is restricted to non-commercial purposes i.e. research or educational use. See http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/ ______________________________________________________ EL Publishing For more EL Publishing articles and services: Website: http://www.elpublishing.org Terms of use: http://www.elpublishing.org/terms Submissions: http://www.elpublishing.org/submissions The Aslian languages of Malaysia and Thailand: an assessment Geoffrey Benjamin Nanyang Technological University and Institute of Southeast Asian Studies, Singapore 1. Introduction1 The term ‘Aslian’ refers to a distinctive group of approximately 20 Mon- Khmer languages spoken in Peninsular Malaysia and the isthmian parts of southern Thailand.2 All the Aslian-speakers belong to the tribal or formerly- 1 This paper has undergone several transformations. The earliest version was presented at the Workshop on Endangered Languages and Literatures of Southeast Asia, Royal Institute of Linguistics and Anthropology, Leiden, in December 1996.
    [Show full text]
  • Reconstructing Proto-Pakanic
    Reconstructing Proto-Pakanic Andy Hsiu Payap University November 2016 Background • 2 little-known tonal Austroasiatic languages: • Bolyu: spoken in Longlin County, western Guangxi Province, China – ~ 1,000 speakers • Bugan: spoken in southern Guangnan County, Yunnan Province, China – ~ 2,000 speakers Significance • No reconstruction yet • Northeastern-most Austroasiatic languages • Many forms seem to have diffused from Vietic and Khmuic. • “Relic” languages: AA languages were once very widespread in southern China, but have been assimilated by Tai-Kadai languages (cf. papers by Jerry Norman; Jerold Edmondson; George van Driem) Classification Classification (Sidwell 2009) • Austroasiatic – (Various primary branches) – Mangic branch [3 languages] • Mang language • Pakanic sub-branch –Bolyu –Bugan Austroasiatic dispersal (Blench & Sidwell 2011) Locations Bugan people Official government classifications • Bolyu classified as Gelao ( = Kra) • Bugan classified as Yi ( = Lolo-Burmese) • This is because Bolyu has had contact with White Gelao. They migrated from Guizhou province in the 1800’s along with the Gelao (Li 1999). • Bugan has had contact with Yi (Lolo) languages. Personal visits • In 2013, I visited Bolyu and Bugan villages to get a sense of the sociolinguistic situation, but have not collected any linguistic data. • Both are still spoken by children, and entire villages. • Bolyu: 5-10 villages • Bugan: 7 villages Languages compared 3 dialects compared • 1. Bolyu (Li Xulian 1999) • 2. Bugan of Manlong village (Li Yunbing 2005) • 3. Bugan
    [Show full text]
  • Register in Eastern Cham: Phonological, Phonetic and Sociolinguistic Approaches
    REGISTER IN EASTERN CHAM: PHONOLOGICAL, PHONETIC AND SOCIOLINGUISTIC APPROACHES A Dissertation Presented to the Faculty of the Graduate School of Cornell University in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirement for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy by Marc Brunelle August 2005 © 2005 Marc Brunelle REGISTER IN EASTERN CHAM: PHONOLOGICAL, PHONETIC AND SOCIOLINGUISTIC APPROACHES Marc Brunelle, Ph.D. Cornell University, 2005 The Chamic language family is often cited as a test case for contact linguistics. Although Chamic languages are Austronesian, they are claimed to have converged with Mon-Khmer languages and adopted features from their closest neighbors. A good example of such a convergence is the realization of phonological register in Cham dialects. In many Southeast Asian languages, the loss of the voicing contrast in onsets has led to the development of two registers, bundles of features that initially included pitch, voice quality, vowel quality and durational differences and that are typically realized on rimes. While Cambodian Cham realizes register mainly through vowel quality, just like Khmer, the registers of the Cham dialect spoken in south- central Vietnam (Eastern Cham) are claimed to have evolved into tone, a property that plays a central role in Vietnamese phonology. This dissertation evaluates the hypothesis that contact with Vietnamese is responsible for the recent evolution of Eastern Cham register by exploring the nature of the sound system of Eastern Cham from phonetic, phonological and sociolinguistic perspectives. Proponents of the view that Eastern Cham has a complex tone system claim that tones arose from the phonemicization of register allophones conditioned by codas after the weakening or deletion of coda stops and laryngeals.
    [Show full text]
  • Khmuic Linguistic Bibliography with Selected Annotations
    Journal of the Southeast Asian Linguistics Society JSEALS Vol. 10.1 (2017): i-xlvi ISSN: 1836-6821, DOI: http://hdl.handle.net/10524/52401 University of Hawaiʼi Press eVols KHMUIC LINGUISTIC BIBLIOGRAPHY WITH SELECTED ANNOTATIONS Nathaniel CHEESEMAN Linguistics Institute, Payap University, Thailand Paul SIDWELL Australian National University R. Anne OSBORNE SIL International Abstract: The Khmuic languages represent a branch in the north-central region of the Austroasiatic family. While there are several existing Khmuic bibliographies, namely, Smalley (1973), Proschan (1987), Preisig and Simana (n.d.), Renard (2015), and Lund University (2015), this paper seeks to combine, update and organize these materials into a more readily accessible online resource. A brief overview of Khmuic languages and their linguistic features is given. References are organized according to linguistic domain, with some annotations. An updated language index of a dozen Khmuic languages is also included. Keywords: Austroasiatic, Mon-Khmer, Khmuic, bibliography ISO 639-3 codes: bgk, kjm, xao, kjg, khf, xnh, prb, mlf, mra, tyh, pnx, prt, pry, puo 1. Introduction The Ethnologue, (19th edition), lists thirteen Khmuic languages. Khmuic languages are spoken primarily in northern Laos, but also are found in Thailand and Vietnam. The Khmuic language family is a Sub-branch of the Austroasiatic linguistic family that is dispersed throughout Southeast Asia. Since the early 1970s, five major bibliographies on Khmuic languages have been produced. Most of these focus on Khmu, the largest Khmuic language group. Smalley (1973) wrote the first major Khmuic bibliography that gives readers a mid-twentieth century snapshot of Khmu. This work was an expansion of Smalley’s earlier listings of major Khmu works found in Outline of Khmuˀ structure (Smalley 1961a).
    [Show full text]
  • Khmer Phonetics & Phonology: Theoretical Implications for ESL Instruction
    Running Head: KHMER PHONETICS AND PHONOLOGY 1 Khmer Phonetics & Phonology: Theoretical Implications for ESL Instruction Alex Donley A Senior Thesis submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for graduation in the Honors Program Liberty University Spring 2020 KHMER PHONETICS AND PHONOLOGY 2 Acceptance of Senior Honors Thesis This Senior Honors Thesis is accepted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for graduation from the Honors Program of Liberty University. ______________________________ Jaeshil Kim, Ph.D. Thesis Chair ______________________________ Stephanie Blankenship, Ed.D. Committee Member ______________________________ David Schweitzer, Ph.D. Assistant Honors Director ______________________________ Date KHMER PHONETICS AND PHONOLOGY 3 Abstract This thesis develops an approach to English teaching for Khmer-speaking students that centers on Khmer phonetics and phonology. Cambodia has a strong demand for English instruction, but consistently underperforms next to other nations in terms of proficiency. A significant reason for Cambodia’s skill gap is the lack of research into linguistic hurdles Khmer speakers face when learning English. This paper aims to bridge Khmer and English with an understanding of the speech systems that both languages use before turning to the unique challenges Khmer speakers must overcome based on the tenets of L1 Transfer Theory. It closes by outlining strategies for English teachers to build the comprehensibility and confidence of their Khmer-speaking students. Keywords: Khmer, English, phonetics, phonology, transfer, ESL KHMER PHONETICS AND PHONOLOGY 4 Khmer Phonetics and Phonology: Theoretical Implications for ESL Instruction Introduction This thesis develops an approach to English teaching for Khmer-speaking students that is grounded in a thorough understanding of Khmer phonetics and phonology.
    [Show full text]
  • Incipient Tonogenesis in Phnom Penh Khmer: Acoustic and Perceptual Studies
    Incipient tonogenesis in Phnom Penh Khmer: Acoustic and perceptual studies James P. Kirby School of Philosophy, Psychology and Language Sciences, The University of Edinburgh, Dugald Stewart Building, 3 Charles Street, Edinburgh, EH8 9AD, Scotland (U.K.) Abstract Unlike many languages of Southeast Asia, Khmer (Cambodian) is not a tone lan- guage. However, in the colloquial speech of the capital Phnom Penh, /r/ is lost in onsets, reportedly supplanted by a range of other acoustic cues such as aspira- tion, a falling- or low-rising f0 contour, breathy voice quality, and in some cases diphthongization, e.g. /krA:/ ‘poor’ > [k`OA], [khˇOA],[kOA], /kru:/ ‘teacher’ > [k`u:], ¨¨ [khˇu:], [ku:]. This paper presents the results of production and perception studies ¨ designed to shed light on this unusual sound change. Acoustic evidence shows that colloquial /CrV/ forms differ from reading pronunciation forms in terms of VOT, f0, and spectral balance measures, while a pair of perceptual studies demon- strate that f0 is a sufficient cue for listeners to distinguish underlying /CrV/-initial from /CV/-initial forms, but that F1 is not. I suggest that this sound change may have arisen via the perceptual reanalysis of changes in spectral balance, coupled with the coarticulatory influence of the dorsal gesture for /r/. Key words: Khmer; tonogenesis; voice quality; sound change; phonologization ∗Tel: +44 (0)131 650 3952; fax: +44 (0)131 651 3190. Email address: [email protected] (James P. Kirby) Preprint submitted to Journal of Phonetics January 8, 2014 1. Introduction Khmer, the national language of Cambodia, is notable for being a non-tonal language in what may be the most ‘tone-prone’ area of the world (Matisoff, 1973).
    [Show full text]
  • Aslian: Mon-Khmer of the Malay Peninsula
    1 Aslian: Mon-Khmer of the Malay Peninsula. James A. Matisoff University of California, Berkeley Depending from the Southeast Asian mainland like “a long-necked bottle or an Indian club,”1 the Malay Peninsula lies in tropical splendor, separated from the island of Sumatra by the peaceful tidal waters of the Strait of Malacca. In the geological past, before the sinking of the Sunda Shelf, the west (‘Selangor’) coast of Malaya and the east coast of Sumatra were in fact connected by land—and at an even earlier period the two coastlines must have fit neatly together like pieces of a jigsaw puzzle (see Map 1). * This monograph was originally written in 1982-83, almost twenty years ago now, with the intention of incorporating it into the Mon-Khmer chapter of my long-suffering book, Languages of Mainland Southeast Asia. This book, to be published eventually in the Language Surveys series (familiarly know as the “green books”) by Cambridge University Press, is still far from completion, but will hopefully appear sometime during the 21st century. Meanwhile it has become clear that this study of the Aslian branch of Mon-Khmer is far too long and detailed to serve merely as part of a single chapter of a general book on Southeast Asian languages. However, in view of the fact that no other overall treatment of the Aslian languages has appeared in the past 20 years, perhaps the time has come to publish it separately. Since I am certainly no specialist in Mon-Khmer, I have obviously had to rely on the true masters of the field, especially the works of the two preeminent Aslianists, Gérard Diffloth and Geoffrey Benjamin, both of whom have been kind enough to approve of my attempts to summarize their research.
    [Show full text]
  • Giao Chỉ” (”Jiāozhǐ” ￿￿) As a Diffusion Center of Chinese Diachronic Changes: Syllabic Weight Contrast and Phonologisation of Its Phonetic Correlates Frederic Pain
    ”Giao Chỉ” (”Jiāozhǐ” ) as a diffusion center of Chinese diachronic changes: syllabic weight contrast and phonologisation of its phonetic correlates Frederic Pain To cite this version: Frederic Pain. ”Giao Chỉ” (”Jiāozhǐ” ) as a diffusion center of Chinese diachronic changes: syllabic weight contrast and phonologisation of its phonetic correlates. 2020. halshs-02956831 HAL Id: halshs-02956831 https://halshs.archives-ouvertes.fr/halshs-02956831 Preprint submitted on 3 Oct 2020 HAL is a multi-disciplinary open access L’archive ouverte pluridisciplinaire HAL, est archive for the deposit and dissemination of sci- destinée au dépôt et à la diffusion de documents entific research documents, whether they are pub- scientifiques de niveau recherche, publiés ou non, lished or not. The documents may come from émanant des établissements d’enseignement et de teaching and research institutions in France or recherche français ou étrangers, des laboratoires abroad, or from public or private research centers. publics ou privés. GIAO CHỈ AS A DIFFUSION CENTER | 1 "GIAO CH Ỉ" ("JI ĀOZH Ǐ" 交趾 ) AS A DIFFUSIO CETER OF CHIESE DIACHROIC CHAGES: SYLLABIC WEIGHT COTRAST AD PHOOLOGISATIO OF ITS PHOETIC CORRELATES 1 Pa n Freder c ( 白威廉 ) Laborato re Langues et Civilisations à Tradition Orale (LaC TO -CRS , UMR ,10,, Par s) 清華學報 , Tsing Hua Journal of Chinese Studies , 50 (0) The present essay tac4les a part cular l ngu st c facet of the s n c sat on process n Southeast As a. The focal argument addressed throughout th s essay l es n the cla m that G ao Ch; should be granted a central pos t on regard ng the transfer of Old and M ddle Ch nese d achron c features—may they be transferred d rectly or "by-proxy" — nto Southeast As an languages from the commandery ( jùn 郡) of G ao Ch; 交趾 westwards down to the Gulf of Tha land as well as southwards to the Me4ong Delta.
    [Show full text]
  • Laos and Ethnic Minority Cultures: Promoting Heritage Edited by Yves Goudineau
    Laos and Ethnic Minority Cultures: Promoting Heritage Edited by Yves Goudineau UNESCO PUBLISHING MEMORY OF PEOPLES 34_Laos_GB_INT 26/06/03 10:24 Page 1 Laos and Ethnic Minority Cultures 34_Laos_GB_INT 26/06/03 10:24 Page 3 Laos and Ethnic Minority Cultures: Promoting Heritage Edited by YVES GOUDINEAU Memory of Peoples | UNESCO Publishing 34_Laos_GB_INT 7/07/03 11:12 Page 4 The authors are responsible for the choice and the presentation of the facts contained in this book and for the opinions expressed therein, which are not necessarily those of UNESCO and do not commit the Organization. The designations employed and the presentation of material throughout this publication do not imply the expression of any opinion whatsoever on the part of UNESCO concerning the legal status of any country, territory, city or area or of its authorities, or concerning the delimitation of its frontiers or boundaries. UNESCO wishes to express its gratitude to the Japanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs for its support to this publication through the UNESCO/Japan Funds-in-Trust for the Safeguarding and Promotion of Intangible Heritage. Published in 2003 by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization 7, place de Fontenoy F-75352 Paris 07 SP Plate section: Marion Dejean Cartography and drawings: Marina Taurus Composed by La Mise en page Printed by Imprimerie Leclerc, Abbeville, France ISBN 92-3-103891-5 © UNESCO 2003 Printed in France 34_Laos_GB_INT 26/06/03 10:24 Page 5 5 Foreword YVES GOUDINEAU It is quite clear to every observer that Laos owes part of its cultural wealth to the unique diversity which resides in the bosom of the different populations that have settled on its present territory down the ages, bringing with them a mix of languages, beliefs and aesthetic traditions.
    [Show full text]