DOCSLIB.ORG

The Semantics and Pragmatics of Uummarmiutun Modals.Pdf

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
The Semantics and Pragmatics of Uummarmiutun Modals.Pdf Doctoral theses at NTNU, 2017:345 Signe Rix Berthelin Signe Rix Berthelin The Semantics and Pragmatics oral thesis oral of Uummarmiutun Modals Doct ISBN 978-82-326-2758-5 (printed ver.) ISBN 978-82-326-2759-2 (electronic ver.) ISSN 1503-8181 Doctoral theses at NTNU, 2017:345 NTNU Philosophiae Doctor Philosophiae Faculty of Humanities Faculty Thesis for the Degree of the Degree Thesis for Department of Language and Literature egian University of Science and Technology of Science egian University Norw Signe Rix Berthelin The Semantics and Pragmatics of Uummarmiutun Modals Thesis for the Degree of Philosophiae Doctor Trondheim, January 2017 Norwegian University of Science and Technology Faculty of Humanities Department of Language and Literature NTNU Norwegian University of Science and Technology Thesis for the Degree of Philosophiae Doctor Faculty of Humanities Department of Language and Literature © Signe Rix Berthelin ISBN 978-82-326-2758-5 (printed ver.) ISBN 978-82-326-2759-2 (electronic ver.) ISSN 1503-8181 Doctoral theses at NTNU, 2017:345 Printed by NTNU Grafisk senter For my grandmothers: Tove Carstensen and Inger Margrethe Rix Acknowledgements First and foremost I want to thank Panigavluk, Mangilaluk and the late for teaching me about Uummarmiutun. I also want to express my gratitude to Mimirlina, Agnagullak and Suvvatchiaq for teaching me about their language. Moreover, they all shared stories and advice, and Mimirlina taught me to sew with sealskin. was a very popular and well-respected teacher. It was an honor to meet her, and I am forever grateful to her for the stories and wisdom of life she shared during our meetings. I am incredibly lucky that Kaja Borthen, Department of Language and Literature, NTNU, has been my supervisor. The thesis has benefitted extensively from her spot-on comments and wise insights. I am grateful for all the things she has done for me since I took my first course in pragmatics as a BA student. Kaja introduced me to the joys and challenges of research and throughout the years, she has not only been a teacher but also an invaluable mentor and support. I have so much more to learn from Kaja, and I am very happy that this thesis is not the end of our collaboration. I am also very fortunate to have received supervision from Alana Johns, University of Toronto, and Kasper Boye, University of Copenhagen, whose input and comments have been invaluable to the quality of the thesis. I enjoy our discussions, and I look forward to learn more from Kasper and Alana in the future. Petar Dimitrov Kehayov and Christoph Unger commented on drafts of the present thesis, and also Maren Berg Grimstad, Viktoria Havas, Cecilie Slinning Knudsen and Dave Kush have kindly offered their expertise. Among those who have offered advice and support throughout the process are also Barbara Memogana and Corporation, Gøril Thomassen Hammerstad and Trude Hjulstad at NTNU and the staff at the Aurora Research Institute. Also a big thank you to Ingrid Lossius Falkum at University of Oslo and Robyn Carston at University College London for our discussions, and for sharing theoretical insights. I also want to thank Assibi Apatewon Amidu at NTNU for teaching me Kiswahili grammar in 2010, which triggered my interest in Linguistics, Ronald Brower at the University of Fairbanks, Alaska, for teaching me North Slope Iñupiaq grammar in 2011 and Tyler Roy Gösta Peterson for the course in semantic fieldwork methods in Leiden in 2010. Any errors and misinterpretations remain entirely my own. I also want to express a warm thanks to my friends in Denmark, Norway and Canada for their support and for reminding me of life outside the office. In particular, I want to thank Runa Nilssen and Linn Herredsvela for all the good times we share. Also warm thanks to my friends at NTNU for being who you are, especially Cecilie Slinning Knudsen, Pia Karoline Farstad Eriksen, Perlaug Marie Kveen, Maren Berg Grimstad, and to my roommate during my second visit in Inuvik Tiff-Annie Kenny. Last but not least, I want to thank my parents Torben Helmut Rix, Elli Marie Berthelin and Mogens Lilledal Hansen for encouraging me to follow my interests and ambitions. And my partner Morten Langfeldt Dahlback for our late night conversations about modality from linguistic and philosophical points of view and for all the good times we have shared and all the good times we will share in the future. The project was made possible through generous financial and logistical support from the Department of Humanities at NTNU, LingPhil, Aurora Research Institute and Inuvik Centennial Library. Table of contents Chapter 1: Introduction 1.1 Setting the scene 1 1.2 Expressions under investigation 4 1.33 Dissemination of results 6 1.4 Outline of the thesis 7 Chapter 2: Linguistic affiliations and overview of Inuktut grammar 2.1 Introduction 9 2.2 A brief introduction to the Uummarmiutun language situation 11 2.3 Linguistic affiliations 12 2.3.1 The language family 12 2.3.2 Similarities and differences between Inuktut dialects 15 2.4 Grammar 19 2.4.1 Postbases 19 2.4.2 Uummarmiutun verbs 25 2.4.3 Uummarmiutun nouns 30 2.5 Summary 33 Chapter 3: Defining modality 3.1 Introduction 35 3.1.1 Overview of the chapter 35 3.1.2 The phenomenon 36 3.2 Approaching modality 41 3.2.1 Modality and levels of analysis 41 3.2.2 The relation between root and epistemic modality 44 3.3 Conceptions of modality 48 3.3.1 Subjectivity 48 3.3.2 Undetermined factuality 50 3.3.3 Necessity and possibility and the inheritance from modal logic 51 3.3.4 Modality as unrealized force-dynamic potential 62 3.3.5 Conclusions regarding the conception of modality 69 3.4 Modal expressions and their neighbors 71 3.4.1 Definition of a modal expression 71 3.4.2 Extension of the category 73 3.4.2.1 Modality in relation to evidentiality 73 3.4.2.2 Modality in relation to full epistemic certainty and causation 80 3.4.3 Conclusions: Modality and neighboring meanings 84 3.5 Summary 85 Chapter 4: Methodology 4.1 Introduction 87 4.2 Semantic fieldwork methods 89 4.2.1 Challenges in semantic fieldwork 89 4.2.2 Elicitation and elicitation techniques 91 4.2.2.1 Elicitation in semantic fieldwork 91 4.2.2.2 Elicitation techniques 92 4.2.3 Possible concerns with the employed method 105 4.3 Participants, interviews and data processing 109 4.3.1 Participants and interviews 109 4.3.2 Analysing and rendering the data 110 Chapter 5: Uummarmiutun modals data and description 5.1 Introduction 113 5.1.1 Overview of the chapter 113 5.1.2 Expressions under investigation 114 5.1.3 A note on terminology 118 5.2 Uummarmiutun expressions with possible relevance to modality 119 5.2.1 luuniin 119 5.2.2 kiaq 123 5.2.3 guuq 129 5.2.4 ahulu 137 5.2.5 niq 141 5.2.6 yumaaq 153 5.2.7 viaq 158 5.2.8 yumiñaq 168 5.3 In-depth analyses of four Uummarmiutun modals 175 5.3.1 ukau 175 5.3.1.1 Research questions 175 5.3.1.2 Modal force 177 5.3.1.3 Modal type and source 178 5.3.1.4 Conclusions: Meanings covered by ukau 196 5.3.2 hungnaq 197 5.3.2.1 Research questions 197 5.3.2.2 Modal force 199 5.3.2.3 Modal type and evidential restrictions 211 5.3.2.4 Conclusions: Meanings covered by hungnaq 219 5.3.3 huk 220 5.3.3.1 Research questions 220 5.3.3.2 Modal meanings 222 5.3.3.3 Other meanings 235 5.3.3.4 Conclusions: Meanings covered by huk 240 5.3.4 lla 241 5.3.4.1 Research questions 241 5.3.4.2 Modal type and source 243 5.3.4.3 Modal force 253 5.3.4.4 Conclusions: Meanings covered by lla 254 5.4 Summary 255 Chapter 6: Capturing the Semantics and Pragmatics of Modal Expressions 6.1 Introduction 263 6.2 Relevance theory 266 6.2.1 Why relevance theory? 266 6.2.2 The relevance-theoretic account of communication and utterance interpretation 267 6.2.3 Relevance-theoretic concepts and distinctions 272 6.2.3.1 The semantics-pragmatics distinction 272 6.2.3.2 Explicatures and implicatures 273 6.2.3.3 Propositions communicated vs. propositions expressed 280 6.3 Relevance-theoretic modal semantics and pragmatics 282 6.3.1. A brief overview of relevance-theoretic takes on modal meaning 282 6.3.2 Modality and the conceptual-procedural distinction 284 6.3.3 Papafragou (2000) 289 6.3.3.1 The model 289 6.3.3.2 Modal domains and ways of using propositions 291 6.3.3.3 (2000) modal semantics and pragmatics 296 6.4 Towards the formation of a lexical semantics for modal expressions 302 6.4.1 Challenges 302 6.4.2 Modal force 303 6.4.3 The root-epistemic distinction 312 6.4.3.1 Reflecting the distinction 312 6.4.3.2 Other restrictions on the modal domain 319 6.4.4 Lexical semantic structure of root-epistemic overlapping modals 320 6.4.4.1 The polyfunctionality of modals 320 6.4.4.2 Polysemy 324 6.4.4.3. Root-epistemic overlap as split polysemy 329 6.5 Summary 334 Chapter 7: The Semantics and Pragmatics of Uummarmiutun modals 7.1 Introduction 339 7.2 ukau 339 7.3 hungnaq 345 7.4 huk 348 7.5 lla 353 7.6 Conclusions 357 Chapter 8: A sketch of the semantic and pragmatic properties of epistemic expressions in Uummarmiutun and beyond 8.1 Introduction 361 8.2 Epistemic force and epistemic justification 363 8.3 Epistemic vigilance 369 8.4 The semantics and pragmatics of epistemic expressions 373 8.5 Summary 379 Chapter 9: Summary 9.1 The contribution 383 9.2 The conception of modality and modal expressions 384 9.3 Descriptive results 385 9.4 A model for modal semantics and pragmatics 388 9.5 The semantics and pragmatics of Uummarmiutun modals 392 9.6 Methodological insights 396 Bibliography 399 List of abbreviations 1 first person INTR intransitive 2 second person LOC locative
Load more

Recommended publications
  • STAND-Policy-Handbook-July 2021
    POLICY-MAKER/RESEARCHER HANDBOOK: POLICY-MAKER /RESEARCHER HANDBOOK S T A N D C A N A D A HOW TO BE INCLUSIVE OF FIRST NATION, MÉTIS, AND INUIT COMMUNITIES Author: , Policy Prepared July 2021 Version 1. Olaide Bankole Researcher Editor: Diana Anton, Co-Director of 01 Strategic Policy TABLE OF CONTENTS 3. .....................................................................Introduction 4. .............................................General Best Practices 5. ........................Best Practices for Policy-Makers 6. Examples of Positive Policy Making Practices 8. .............................Best Practices for Researchers 11. ...What To Do: A Checklist For Researchers 12. ..........................................................Helpful Resources 14. ............................................................................Conclusion 15. ...............................Appendix A: Key Terminology 02 INTRODUCTION The purpose of this handbook is to identify some basic guidelines for researchers and policy makers wishing to engage meaningfully with First Nation, Métis, and Inuit (FNMI) communities, and provide some resources to begin the process of meaningful inclusion of FNMI voices in policy and research work. In 2015, Canada’s Truth and Reconciliation Committee (TRC) released Calls to Action specifying specific actions Canadians should take to begin the process of reconciliation with First Nations, Métis, and Inuit people. Researchers and policymakers have substantial opportunities to do the work of reconciliation when it comes to creating
    [Show full text]
  • Indigenous Languages
    INDIGENOUS LANGUAGES PRE-TEACH/PRE-ACTIVITY Have students look at the Indigenous languages and/or language groups that are displayed on the map. Discuss where this data came from (the 2016 census) and what biases or problems this data may have, such as the fear of self-identifying based on historical reasons or current gaps in data. Take some time to look at how censuses are performed, who participates in them, and what they can learn from the data that is and is not collected. Refer to the online and poster map of Indigenous Languages in Canada featured in the 2017 November/December issue of Canadian Geographic, and explore how students feel about the number of speakers each language has and what the current data means for the people who speak each language. Additionally, look at the language families listed and the names of each language used by the federal government in collecting this data. Discuss with students why these may not be the correct names and how they can help in the reconciliation process by using the correct language names. LEARNING OUTCOMES: • Students will learn about the number and • Students will learn about the importance of diversity of languages and language groups language and the ties it has to culture. spoken by Indigenous Peoples in Canada. • Students will become engaged in learning a • Students will learn that Indigenous Peoples local Indigenous language. in Canada speak many languages and that some languages are endangered. INDIGENOUS LANGUAGES Foundational knowledge and perspectives FIRST NATIONS “One of the first acts of colonization and settlement “Our languages are central to our ceremonies, our rela- is to name the newly ‘discovered’ land in the lan- tionships to our lands, the animals, to each other, our guage of the colonizers or the ‘discoverers.’ This is understandings, of our worlds, including the natural done despite the fact that there are already names world, our stories and our laws.” for these places that were given by the original in- habitants.
    [Show full text]
  • Gwich'in Nomination Chapter
    Nagwichoonjik, the ‘river through a big country’ Gwich’in Chapter Nomination of the Mackenzie River as a Canadian Heritage River Prepared by Randy Freeman, DownNorth Consulting, Yellowknife October 6, 2005 2 The Mackenzie River corridor from Vihtr’ii tshik [Thunder River] to about Srehtadhadlaii [Point Separation] … was important for a number of reasons. It was one of the links connecting the different regions, and most families travelled on the river at some point during the year. Many families also spent the summer season at one of the fish camps located on both sides of the river. The sites for the great summer gatherings of ts’ii deii days were also located along this stretch of the river. So important is the river that, in [Gwich’in Elder] Gabe Andre’s words, it is a ‘highway’ of the Gwichya Gwich’in.1 1 Michael Heine, Alestine Andre, Ingrid Kritsch, Alma Cardinal and the Elders of Tsiigehtchic. Gwichya Gwich’in Googwandak: The History and Stories of the Gwichya Gwich’in. (Tsiigehtchic and Yellowknife, NT: Gwich’in Social and Cultural Institute, 2001) 59. Nagwichoonjik, the ‘river through a big country’ 3 Introduction Nagwichoonjik is the traditional Gwich’in name for the Mackenzie River. The name means ‘river through a big country’ and for the Gwich’in of the Northwest Territories it’s both literally and figuratively their main ‘highway’, the backbone of their traditional lands. Background The Gwich’in inhabit an expanse of sub-arctic boreal forest stretching from the interior of Alaska eastward through northern Yukon to the lower Mackenzie valley of the Northwest Territories.
    [Show full text]
  • INUVIALUIT LANGUAGE and IDENTITY: PERSPECTIVES on the SYMBOLIC MEANING of INUVIALUKTUN in the CANADIAN WESTERN ARCTIC by Alexand
    INUVIALUIT LANGUAGE AND IDENTITY: PERSPECTIVES ON THE SYMBOLIC MEANING OF INUVIALUKTUN IN THE CANADIAN WESTERN ARCTIC by Alexander C. Oehler B.A., University of Northern British Columbia, 2010 THESIS SUBMITTED IN PARTIAL FULFILLMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE DEGREE OF MASTER OF ARTS IN INTERDISCIPLINARY STUDIES UNIVERSITY OF NORTHERN BRITISH COLUMBIA July 2012 © Alexander C. Oehler, 2012 Abstract: The revitalization of ancestral languages has been an issue of great concern to Aboriginal communities across North America for several decades. More recently, this concern has also found a voice in educational policy, particularly in regions where Aboriginal land claims have been ratified, and where public schools fall under a mandate to offer curricula that meet the needs of Aboriginal students. This research seeks to explore the cultural significance of Inuvialuktun, a regional Inuit language comprised of three distinct dialects traditionally spoken by the Inuvialuit of the northern Northwest Territories, Canada. More specifically, the research seeks to examine the role of current Inuvialuktun language revitalization efforts in the establishment of Inuvialuit collective and individual identities across several age groups. Tying into the sociolinguistic discourse on ancestral language revitalization in North America, the research seeks to contribute a case study from a region underrepresented in the literature on language and identity. The applied aim of the study is to provide better insight on existing language ideologies and language attitudes subscribed to by current and potential learners of Inuvialuktun in the community of Inuvik, NWT. Data obtained by the study is intended to aid local and territorial language planners in identifying potential obstacles and opportunities regarding language learner motivation.
    [Show full text]
  • Chapter 6 Mirativity and the Bulgarian Evidential System Elena Karagjosova Freie Universität Berlin
    Chapter 6 Mirativity and the Bulgarian evidential system Elena Karagjosova Freie Universität Berlin This paper provides an account of the Bulgarian admirative construction andits place within the Bulgarian evidential system based on (i) new observations on the morphological, temporal, and evidential properties of the admirative, (ii) a criti- cal reexamination of existing approaches to the Bulgarian evidential system, and (iii) insights from a similar mirative construction in Spanish. I argue in particular that admirative sentences are assertions based on evidence of some sort (reporta- tive, inferential, or direct) which are contrasted against the set of beliefs held by the speaker up to the point of receiving the evidence; the speaker’s past beliefs entail a proposition that clashes with the assertion, triggering belief revision and resulting in a sense of surprise. I suggest an analysis of the admirative in terms of a mirative operator that captures the evidential, temporal, aspectual, and modal properties of the construction in a compositional fashion. The analysis suggests that although mirativity and evidentiality can be seen as separate semantic cate- gories, the Bulgarian admirative represents a cross-linguistically relevant case of a mirative extension of evidential verbal forms. Keywords: mirativity, evidentiality, fake past 1 Introduction The Bulgarian evidential system is an ongoing topic of discussion both withre- spect to its interpretation and its morphological buildup. In this paper, I focus on the currently poorly understood admirative construction. The analysis I present is based on largely unacknowledged observations and data involving the mor- phological structure, the syntactic environment, and the evidential meaning of the admirative. Elena Karagjosova.
    [Show full text]
  • A Syntactic Analysis of Rhetorical Questions
    A Syntactic Analysis of Rhetorical Questions Asier Alcázar 1. Introduction* A rhetorical question (RQ: 1b) is viewed as a pragmatic reading of a genuine question (GQ: 1a). (1) a. Who helped John? [Mary, Peter, his mother, his brother, a neighbor, the police…] b. Who helped John? [Speaker follows up: “Well, me, of course…who else?”] Rohde (2006) and Caponigro & Sprouse (2007) view RQs as interrogatives biased in their answer set (1a = unbiased interrogative; 1b = biased interrogative). In unbiased interrogatives, the probability distribution of the answers is even.1 The answer in RQs is biased because it belongs in the Common Ground (CG, Stalnaker 1978), a set of mutual or common beliefs shared by speaker and addressee. The difference between RQs and GQs is thus pragmatic. Let us refer to these approaches as Option A. Sadock (1971, 1974) and Han (2002), by contrast, analyze RQs as no longer interrogative, but rather as assertions of opposite polarity (2a = 2b). Accordingly, RQs are not defined in terms of the properties of their answer set. The CG is not invoked. Let us call these analyses Option B. (2) a. Speaker says: “I did not lie.” b. Speaker says: “Did I lie?” [Speaker follows up: “No! I didn’t!”] For Han (2002: 222) RQs point to a pragmatic interface: “The representation at this level is not LF, which is the output of syntax, but more abstract than that. It is the output of further post-LF derivation via interaction with at least a sub part of the interpretational component, namely pragmatics.” RQs are not seen as syntactic objects, but rather as a post-syntactic interface phenomenon.
    [Show full text]
  • Tagalog Pala: an Unsurprising Case of Mirativity
    Tagalog pala: an unsurprising case of mirativity Scott AnderBois Brown University Similar to many descriptions of miratives cross-linguistically, Schachter & Otanes(1972)’s clas- sic descriptive grammar of Tagalog describes the second position particle pala as “expressing mild surprise at new information, or an unexpected event or situation.” Drawing on recent work on mi- rativity in other languages, however, we show that this characterization needs to be refined in two ways. First, we show that while pala can be used in cases of surprise, pala itself merely encodes the speaker’s sudden revelation with the counterexpectational nature of surprise arising pragmatically or from other aspects of the sentence such as other particles and focus. Second, we present data from imperatives and interrogatives, arguing that this revelation need not concern ‘information’ per se, but rather the illocutionay update the sentence encodes. Finally, we explore the interactions between pala and other elements which express mirativity in some way and/or interact with the mirativity pala expresses. 1. Introduction Like many languages of the Philippines, Tagalog has a prominent set of discourse particles which express a variety of different evidential, attitudinal, illocutionary, and discourse-related meanings. Morphosyntactically, these particles have long been known to be second-position clitics, with a number of authors having explored fine-grained details of their distribution, rela- tive order, and the interaction of this with different types of sentences (e.g. Schachter & Otanes (1972), Billings & Konopasky(2003) Anderson(2005), Billings(2005) Kaufman(2010)). With a few recent exceptions, however, comparatively little has been said about the semantics/prag- matics of these different elements beyond Schachter & Otanes(1972)’s pioneering work (which is quite detailed given their broad scope of their work).
    [Show full text]
  • Formal Semantics
    HG2002 Semantics and Pragmatics Formal Semantics Francis Bond Division of Linguistics and Multilingual Studies http://www3.ntu.edu.sg/home/fcbond/ [email protected] Lecture 10 Location: HSS Auditorium Creative Commons Attribution License: you are free to share and adapt as long as you give appropriate credit and add no additional restrictions: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/. HG2002 (2018) Overview ã Revision: Components ã Quantifiers and Higher Order Logic ã Modality ã (Dynamic Approaches to Discourse) ã Next Lecture: Chapter 11 — Cognitive Semantics HG2002 (2018) 1 Revision: Componential Analysis HG2002 (2018) 2 Break word meaning into its components ã components allow a compact description ã interact with morphology/syntax ã form part of our cognitive architecture ã For example: woman [female] [adult] [human] spinster [female] [adult] [human] [unmarried] bachelor [male] [adult] [human] [unmarried] wife [female] [adult] [human] [married] ã We can make things more economical (fewer components): woman [+female] [+adult] [+human] spinster [+female] [+adult] [+human] [–married] bachelor [–female] [+adult] [+human] [–married] wife [+female] [+adult] [+human] [+married] HG2002 (2018) 3 Defining Relations using Components ã hyponymy: P is a hyponym of Q if all the components of Q are also in P. spinster ⊂ woman; wife ⊂ woman ã incompatibility: P is incompatible with Q if they share some components but differ in one or more contrasting components spinster ̸≈ wife ã Redundancy Rules [+human] ! [+animate] [+animate] ! [+concrete] [+married]
    [Show full text]
  • Documenting Linguistic Knowledge in an Inuit Language Atlas
    Document generated on 10/01/2021 7:23 p.m. Études Inuit Studies Documenting Linguistic Knowledge in an Inuit Language Atlas Documenter les connaissances linguistiques dans un atlas en langue inuit Kumiko Murasugi and Monica Ittusardjuat Curriculum scolaire inuit Article abstract Inuit School Curriculum The traditional method of orally transmitting language is weakening with the Volume 40, Number 2, 2016 passing of fluent Elders and language erosion in contemporary Inuit society. Language documentation is a vital component of language maintenance and URI: https://id.erudit.org/iderudit/1055437ar revitalization. In this paper we present a pilot online, multimedia DOI: https://doi.org/10.7202/1055437ar cybercartographic Atlas of the Inuit Language in Canada, the goal of which is to help protect and strengthen the vitality of Inuit dialects through the documentation of their words. The main component of the atlas is a See table of contents multidialectal database of written and spoken words. We discuss the role of dictionaries in language documentation, introduce the features of the atlas, explore the appeal of the atlas to different types of users (in particular, Publisher(s) language learners), and present future directions for the atlas project. Centre interuniversitaire d’études et de recherches autochtones (CIÉRA) ISSN 0701-1008 (print) 1708-5268 (digital) Explore this journal Cite this article Murasugi, K. & Ittusardjuat, M. (2016). Documenting Linguistic Knowledge in an Inuit Language Atlas. Études Inuit Studies, 40(2), 169–190. https://doi.org/10.7202/1055437ar Tous droits réservés © La revue Études Inuit Studies, 2019 This document is protected by copyright law. Use of the services of Érudit (including reproduction) is subject to its terms and conditions, which can be viewed online.
    [Show full text]
  • PALATALIZATION and ‘STRONG’ /I/ ACROSS INUIT DIALECTS*
    PALATALIZATION AND ‘STRONG’ /i/ ACROSS INUIT * DIALECTS Richard Compton and B. Elan Dresher University of Toronto Inuit dialects that show palatalization all distinguish between ‘strong i’ and ‘weak i’. This distinction descends from a contrast in the proto-language between */i/, which causes palatalization, and */ə/ (the ‘fourth vowel’), which does not. All Inuit dialects that have completely lost the contrast between these vowels also lack palatalization. This raises the question, why are there no /i a u/ dialects in which all i trigger palatalization? We propose that this typological gap is not accidental. According to the Contrastivist Hypothesis, only contrastive features can be active in the phonology. Contrastive features are determined by a contrastive hierarchy. We propose that the Inuit contrastive hierarchy is [low] > [labial] > [coronal]. It follows from these assumptions that i can trigger palatalization only if in contrast with a fourth vowel. 1. Introduction Proto-Eskimo had four vowels, */i ə a u/ (Fortescue et al. 1994). They survive as distinct vowels in the Yupik branch of Eskimo but, apart from some sub- dialects of Alaskan Inupiaq, no surface /ə/ remains in the Inuit branch. In most Inuit dialects, this vowel merged with */i/. Original */i/ could cause palatalization of consonants, and some Inuit dialects show palatalization (or former palatalization) (Dorais 2003: 33). In these dialects it is traditional to distinguish between ‘strong i’, which descends from */i/ and causes palatalization, and ‘weak i’, which descends from */ə/ and does not. In some of these dialects the two types of i exhibit other kinds of distinct behaviour as well.
    [Show full text]
  • Aboriginal Languages and Selected Vitality Indicators in 2011
    Catalogue no. 89-655-X— No. 001 ISBN 978-1-100-24855-4 Aboriginal Languages and Selected Vitality Indicators in 2011 by Stéphanie Langlois and Annie Turner Release date: October 16, 2014 How to obtain more information For information about this product or the wide range of services and data available from Statistics Canada, visit our website, www.statcan.gc.ca. You can also contact us by email at [email protected], telephone, from Monday to Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., at the following toll-free numbers: • Statistical Information Service 1-800-263-1136 • National telecommunications device for the hearing impaired 1-800-363-7629 • Fax line 1-877-287-4369 Depository Services Program • Inquiries line 1-800-635-7943 • Fax line 1-800-565-7757 To access this product This product, Catalogue no. 89-655-X, is available free in electronic format. To obtain a single issue, visit our website, www.statcan.gc.ca, and browse by “Key resource” > “Publications.” Standards of service to the public Statistics Canada is committed to serving its clients in a prompt, reliable and courteous manner. To this end, Statistics Canada has developed standards of service that its employees observe. To obtain a copy of these service standards, please contact Statistics Canada toll-free at 1-800-263-1136. The service standards are also published on www.statcan.gc.ca under “About us” > “The agency” > “Providing services to Canadians.” Standard symbols Published by authority of the Minister responsible for Statistics Canada The following symbols are used in Statistics Canada publications: .
    [Show full text]
  • Meaningful Consultation, Meaningful Participants and Meaning Making: Inuvialuit Perspectives on the Mackenzie Valley Pipeline and the Climate Crisis
    Meaningful Consultation, Meaningful Participants and Meaning Making: Inuvialuit Perspectives on the Mackenzie Valley Pipeline and the Climate Crisis by Letitia Pokiak BA Anthropology, from the University of Alberta, 2003 A Thesis Submitted in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of MASTER OF ARTS in the Department of Anthropology © Letitia Pokiak, 2020 University of Victoria All rights reserved. This Thesis may not be reproduced in whole or in part, by photocopy or other means, without the permission of the author. We acknowledge with respect the Lekwungen peoples on whose traditional territory the university stands and the Songhees, Esquimalt and WSÁNEĆ peoples whose historical relationships with the land continue to this day. Supervisory Committee Meaningful Consultation, Meaningful Participants and Meaning Making: Inuvialuit Perspectives on the Mackenzie Valley Pipeline and the Climate Crisis by Letitia Pokiak BA ANTHROPOLOGY, from the University of Alberta, 2003 Supervisory Committee Dr. Brian Thom, Department of Anthropology Supervisor Dr. Robert Hancock, Department of Anthropology Departmental Member ii Abstract This Inuvialuit ‘story’ revolves around the Inuvialuit uprising and resurgence against government and industrial encroachment, and the self determination efforts to regain sovereignty of traditional territories. This ‘story’ also discusses how meaningful consultation made the Inuvialuit Final Agreement a reality, through which Inuvialuit land rights and freedoms were formally acknowledged and entrenched in the Canadian Constitution. Through meaningful consultation, Inuvialuit have become ‘meaningful participants’ in sustainable and future-making decisions of Inuvialuit nunangat (Inuvialuit lands) and waters, with respect to the Inuvialuit People and natural beings that Inuvialuit depend upon and maintain relationship with. As ‘meaningful participants’, Inuvialuit have the sovereign rights to “make meaning” and carve out a future as a sovereign nation within the country of Canada.
    [Show full text]