Chapter Two - segmental phonology

Summary

Worrorra phonology will be discussed here in fairly concrete terms in line with classical phonemic analysis, the function of which is to arrive at a clear statement of native speakers' articulatory goals. Phonetic representations will be enclosed in square brackets ([x]), while phonemic representations will be enclosed in diagonal lines (/x/) or italicized. Representations of morphophonemes and morphological forms are enclosed within vertical lines (|x|).

The evidence for the articulatory data presented here is impressionistic, formed during extended fieldwork at Mowanjum and during many hours of listening to recorded speech. Although no spectrographic images of speech segments will be presented, the claims made here are able to be tested by reference to my original recordings, which are all archived with the Australian Institute of Aboriginal Studies.

Phonological features

Worrorra phonemes may be described in terms of the set of features displayed in Table 2.1. All phonemes in this table are listed by their ‘elsewhere’ forms in IPA (phonetic) script, and also in the orthography in which Worrorra materials have been published by the Kimberley Language Centre.

To a certain extent decisions about the feature system can be read from the morphophonemic rules that drive the grammar, as outlined in Chapter Three. These rules provide an empirical basis for feature selection, in that they define classes of sounds to which the morphology is sensitive.