An acoustic study of stem prominence in Han Athabascan Item Type Thesis Authors Manker, Jonathan T. Download date 09/10/2021 16:20:02 Link to Item http://hdl.handle.net/11122/8459 AN ACOUSTIC STUDY OF STEM PROMINENCE IN HAN ATHABASCAN By Jonathan T. Manker RECOMMENDED: APPROVED: Interim Dean, College of Liberal Arts AN ACOUSTIC STUDY OF STEM PROMINENCE IN HAN ATHABASCAN A THESIS Presented to the Faculty of the University of Alaska Fairbanks in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of MASTER OF ARTS By Jonathan T. Manker, B.A. Fairbanks, Alaska May 2012 iii Ab s t r a c t Observations in many studies of Athabascan languages have indicated that the stem syllable displays phonetic prominence, perhaps due to its semantic or structural importance, which is realized through a variety of acoustic means. Features such as voicing, duration, manner of articulation, voice quality, and vowel quality pattern differently in stems and prefixes, both in the diachronic developments of Athabascan phonology as well as in the synchronic, phonetic realizations of individual phonemes. This acoustic study of the Han language investigates the synchronic realization of this morphological conditioning in fricatives, stops, and vowels, and attempts to unify several different phonological effects into a single theory of stem prominence. The results show that the most regular and predictable of these correlates of stem prominence is the increase in duration of segments in stem onsets (consonants) and nuclei (vowels). Additional variations in features that pattern according to morphological category, such as voicing (in fricatives), voice quality (in ejectives), and vowel quality are considered secondary effects largely influenced by duration. iv Ta b l e o f Co n t e n t s Page Signature Page....................................................................................................................i Title Page............................................................................................................................ii Abstract ............................................................................................................................... iii Table of Contents ............................................................................................................... iv List of Figures.....................................................................................................................x List of Tables ......................................................................................................................xiv List of Examples.................................................................................................................xv Acknowledgements ............................................................................................................ xvi Chapter 1 Introduction.................................................................................................1 1.1. Background and Literature Review ..........................................................................1 1.2. Han Language Community....................................................................................... 3 1.3. The Classification of Han Within the Athabascan Language Family ....................5 1.4. Han Phonology........................................................................................................... 7 1.4.1. Consonants..................................................................................................7 1.4.2. Vowels .......................................................................................................9 1.4.3. Syllable Structure ........................................................................................ 10 1.5. Han Orthography .....................................................................................................11 1.6. Phonemic Writing Practices in This Paper..............................................................13 1.7. Organization of This Paper....................................................................................... 14 v Chapter 2 Fricatives.........................................................................................................15 2.1. Background and Literature Review ........................................................................... 15 2.1.1. Fricative Voicing .........................................................................................15 2.1.1.1. Fricatives in Verb Stem Onsets Developed Voicing Intervocalically..........................................................................................16 2.1.1.2. Fricatives in Possessed Noun, Adjective, and Postposition Stem Onsets Developed Voicing........................................................................ 16 2.1.1.3. PA /y/ Strengthens to [z] in Stem Initial Position......................17 2.1.1.4. Fricatives in Certain Prefix Onsets Developed Voicing 18 2.1.1.5. Fricatives in Loan Words Further Obscure Morphophonological Conditioning of Voicing............................................................................22 2.1.2 Synchronic Realization of Fricative Voicing ............................................. 23 2.1.2.1. Fricative Voicing in Other Athabascan Languages ..................23 2.1.2.2. Fricative Voicing in Han............................................................. 25 2.2. Methodology ............................................................................................................... 27 2. 3. Results ........................................................................................................................ 29 2.3.1. Duration.......................................................................................................29 2.3.2. Voicing........................................................................................................ 33 2.3.3. Intensity........................................................................................................46 2.4. Analysis and Discussion ............................................................................................ 47 2.5. Conclusion ................................................................................................................... 52 vi Chapter 3 Stops.................................................................................................................54 3.1. Pulmonic Stops...........................................................................................................54 3.1.1. Background and Literature Review ............................................................ 55 3.1.1.1. Diachronic Obstruentization of Stem Initial /n/ ........................ 55 3.1.1.2. Consonant Lengthening in Southern Athabascan ..................... 56 3.1.2. Methodology................................................................................................57 3.1.3. Results............................................................................................................59 3.1.31. Nasals (/n/).................................................................................... 59 3.1.3.1.1. Nasal Closure Duration.................................................59 3.1.3.1.2. Nasal Intensity ............................................................. 59 3.1.3.2. Plosives (Non-Affricates, /d/ and /t/).......................................... 59 3.1.3.2.1. Plosive Closure Duration ............................................. 60 3.1.3.2.2. Plosive Voice Onset Time ........................................... 61 3.1.3.2.3. Plosive Intensity............................................................ 62 3.1.3.3. Affricates (/c/ and /)/)....................................................................62 3.1.3.3.1. Affricate Closure Duration.......................................... 62 3.1.3.3.2. Affricate Release Duration.......................................... 62 3.1.3.3.3. Affricate Intensity......................................................... 64 3.1.4. Analysis and Discussion.............................................................................. 64 3.1.4.1. Duration........................................................................................64 3.1.4.2. Intensity.........................................................................................65 3.1.4.3. Comparison with Previous Literature........................................ 65 vii 3.2. Ejectives........................................................................................................................ 67 3.2.1. Background and Literature Review ............................................................ 68 3.2.1.1. Cross-Linguistic Descriptions of Ejectives................................68 3.2.1.2. Descriptions of Ejective Variation in Athabascan..................... 69 3.2.2. Methodology................................................................................................. 70 3.2.2.1. Duration of Closure and Release................................................70 3.2.2.2. Voicing Effects and Rise Time...................................................71 3.2.3. Results.......................................................................................................... 72 3.2.3.1. Closure Duration..........................................................................72 3.2.3.2. Voice Onset Time........................................................................73 3.2.3.3. Voice Quality.............................................................................