Hostname: page-component-586b7cd67f-gb8f7 Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-11-23T22:43:36.133Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Typological implications of Kalam predictable vowels*

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  16 April 2010

Juliette Blevins  and
Andrew Pawley
Juliette Blevins
Affiliation:
Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology
Andrew Pawley
Affiliation:
Australian National University
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract

Kalam is a Trans New Guinea language of Papua New Guinea. Kalam has two distinct vowel types: full vowels /a e o/, which are of relatively long duration and stressed, and reduced central vowels, which are shorter and often unstressed, and occur predictably within word-internal consonant clusters and in monoconsonantal utterances. The predictable nature of the reduced vowels has led earlier researchers, e.g. Biggs (1963) and Pawley (1966), to suggest that they are a non-phonemic ‘consonant release’ feature, leading to lexical representations with long consonant strings and vowelless words. Here we compare Kalam to other languages with similar sound patterns and assess the implications for phonological theory in the context of Hall's (2006) typology of inserted vowels. We suggest that future work on predictable vowels should explore the extent to which clusters of properties are explained by evolutionary pathways.

Type
Articles
Information
Phonology , Volume 27 , Issue 1 , May 2010 , pp. 1 - 44
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2010

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

REFERENCES

Archangeli, Diana (1991). Syllabification and prosodic templates in Yawelmani. NLLT 9. 231–283.Google Scholar
Atoyebi, Joseph (in progress). A reference grammar of Oko. PhD dissertation, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Leipzig.Google Scholar
Barnes, Jonathan (2006). Strength and weakness at the interface: positional neutralization in phonetics and phonology. Berlin & New York: Mouton de Gruyter.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Biggs, Bruce (1963). A non-phonemic central vowel type in Karam, a ‘Pygmy’ language of the Schrader Mountains, Central New Guinea. Anthropological Linguistics 5:4. 13–17.Google Scholar
Blevins, Juliette (1995). The syllable in phonological theory. In Goldsmith, John A. (ed.) The handbook of phonological theory. Cambridge, Mass. & Oxford: Blackwell. 206–244.Google Scholar
Blevins, Juliette (2004). Evolutionary Phonology: the emergence of sound patterns. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Blevins, Juliette (2005). The typology of geminate inventories: historical explanations for recurrent sound patterns. Proceedings of the Seoul Linguistics Forum 2005. Seoul: Language Education Institute, Seoul National University. 121–137.Google Scholar
Blevins, Juliette (2006). A theoretical synopsis of Evolutionary Phonology. Theoretical Linguistics 32. 117–166.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Blevins, Juliette (2008). Consonant epenthesis: natural and unnatural histories. In Good, Jeff (ed.) Linguistic universals and language change. Oxford: Oxford University Press. 79–107.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Blevins, Juliette & Garrett, Andrew (1998). The origins of consonant–vowel metathesis. Lg 74. 508–556.Google Scholar
Blust, Robert (2003). Vowelless words in Selau. In Lynch, John (ed.) Issues in Austronesian historical phonology. Canberra: Australian National University. 143–152.Google Scholar
Blust, Robert (2007). Disyllabic attractors and anti-antigemination in Austronesian sound change. Phonology 24. 1–36.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Broselow, Ellen (1992). Parametric variation in Arabic dialect phonology. In Broselow, Ellen, Eid, Mushira & McCarthy, John (eds.) Perspectives on Arabic linguistics IV. Amsterdam & Philadelphia: Benjamins. 7–45.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Browman, Catherine P. & Goldstein, Louis (1986). Towards an articulatory phonology. Phonology Yearbook 3. 219–252.Google Scholar
Browman, Catherine P. & Goldstein, Louis (1992). ‘Targetless’ schwa: an articulatory analysis. In Docherty, Gerard J. & Ladd, D. Robert (eds.) Papers in laboratory phonology II: gesture, segment, prosody. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. 26–56.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Bruce, Les (1984). The Alamblak language of Papua New Guinea (East Sepik). Canberra: Australian National University.Google Scholar
Bybee, Joan (2001). Phonology and language use. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Capell, Arthur (1963). Survey word list (standard) Bougainville survey extra: Halia/Selau dialect (Austronesian), Tipot Bougainville I, North Solomons, Bougainville. Available (December 2009) at http://www.paradisec.org.au/fieldnotes/NSBHAL.htm.Google Scholar
Coberly, Mary (2002). Towards a proto-Kalamic phonology and lexicon. Ms, Plains Language Center, Centennial, Wyoming.Google Scholar
Coleman, John S. (1999). The nature of vocoids associated with syllabic consonants in Tashlhiyt Berber. In Ohala, John J., Hasegawa, Yoko, Ohala, Manjari, Granville, Daniel & Bailey, Ashlee C. (eds.) Proceedings of the 14th International Congress of Phonetic Sciences. Berkeley: Department of Linguistics, University of California, Berkeley. 735–738.Google Scholar
Coleman, John S. (2001). The phonetics and phonology of Tashlhiyt Berber syllabic consonants. Transactions of the Philological Society 99. 29–64.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Comrie, Bernard (1991). On Haruai vowels. In Pawley, Andrew (ed.) Man and a half: essays in Pacific anthropology and ethnobiology in honour of Ralph Bulmer. Auckland: Polynesian Society. 393–397.Google Scholar
Crosswhite, Katherine M. (2004). Vowel reduction. In Hayes, Bruce, Kirchner, Robert & Steriade, Donca (eds.) Phonetically based phonology. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. 191–231.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Crowley, Terry (1998). An Erromangan (Sye) grammar. Honolulu: University of Hawai'i Press.Google Scholar
Davidson, Lisa & Stone, Maureen (2003). Epenthesis versus gestural mistiming in consonant cluster production: an ultrasound study. WCCFL 22. 165–178.Google Scholar
Davies, John (1980). Kobon phonology. Canberra: Australian National University.Google Scholar
Davies, John (1981). Kobon. Amsterdam: North-Holland.Google Scholar
Davies, John (1985). Kobon dictionary. Ms, St John's College, Cambridge.Google Scholar
Dell, François & Elmedlaoui, Mohamed (1985). Syllabic consonants and syllabification in Imdlawn Tashlhiyt Berber. Journal of African Languages and Linguistics 7. 105–130.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Dell, François & Elmedlaoui, Mohamed (1996a). Nonsyllabic transitional vocoids in Imdlawn Tashlhiyt Berber. In Durand, Jacques & Laks, Bernard (eds.) Current trends in phonology: models and methods. Salford: ESRI. 217–244.Google Scholar
Dell, François & Elmedlaoui, Mohamed (1996b). On consonant releases in Imdlawn Tashlhiyt Berber. Linguistics 34. 357–395.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Dench, Alan (1991). Panyjima. In Dixon, R. M. W & Blake, Barry J. (eds.) The handbook of Australian languages. Vol. 4. Oxford: Oxford University Press. 124–243.Google Scholar
Dunn, Ernest F. (1968). An introduction to Bini. East Lansing: African Studies Center, Michigan State University.Google Scholar
Elugbe, Ben Ohiọmamhẹ (1989). Comparative Edoid: phonology and lexicon. Port Harcourt: University of Port Harcourt Press.Google Scholar
Foley, William A. (1986). The Papuan languages of New Guinea. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.Google Scholar
Foley, William A. (1991). The Yimas language of New Guinea. Stanford: Stanford University Press.Google Scholar
Gahl, Susanne & Yu, Alan C. L. (2006). Exemplar-based models in linguistics. Special issue. The Linguistic Review 23. 213–379.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Goddard, Cliff (1992). Pitjantjatjarra/Yankunytjatjara to English dictionary. Alice Springs: Institute for Aboriginal Development.Google Scholar
Guerssel, Mohamed (1977). Constraints on phonological rules. Linguistic Analysis 3. 267–305.Google Scholar
Hall, Nancy (2006). Cross-linguistic patterns of vowel intrusion. Phonology 23. 387–429.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Harms, Robert T. (1976). The segmentalization of Finnish ‘nonrules’. Texas Linguistic Forum 5. 73–88.Google Scholar
Harris, John (2005). Vowel reduction as information loss. In Carr, Philip, Durand, Jacques & Ewen, Colin J. (eds.) Headhood, elements, specification and contrastivity. Amsterdam & Philadelphia: Benjamins. 119–132.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Hayes, Bruce (1995). Metrical stress theory: principles and case studies. Chicago: University of Chicago Press.Google Scholar
Henderson, John & Dobson, Veronica (1994). Eastern and Central Arrernte to English Dictionary. Alice Springs: IAD Press.Google Scholar
Hooley, Bruce A. (1970). Mapos Buang: territory of New Guinea. PhD dissertation, University of Pennsylvania.Google Scholar
Hooley, Bruce A. (2006). Mapos Buang dictionary. Ukarumpa: Summer Institute of Linguistics, Papua New Guinea. Available (December 2009) at http://www.sil.org/pacific/png/abstract.asp?id=49641.Google Scholar
Itô, Junko (1989). A prosodic theory of epenthesis. NLLT 7. 217–259.Google Scholar
Kenstowicz, Michael & Kisseberth, Charles (1979). Generative phonology: description and theory. New York: Academic Press.Google Scholar
Kenstowicz, Michael & Pyle, Charles (1973). On the phonological integrity of geminate clusters. In Kenstowicz, Michael & Kisseberth, Charles W. (eds.) Issues in phonological theory: proceedings of the Urbana Conference on Phonology. The Hague & Paris: Mouton. 27–43.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Kiparsky, Paul (2003). Syllables and moras in Arabic. In Féry, Caroline & Vijver, Ruben van de (eds.) The syllable in Optimality Theory. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. 147–182.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Langdon, Margaret (1970). A grammar of Diegueño: the Mesa Grande dialect. Berkeley: University of California Press.Google Scholar
Laycock, D. C. (1965). The Ndu language family (Sepik District, New Guinea). Canberra: Australian National University.Google Scholar
Levin, Juliette (1987). Between epenthetic and excrescent vowels (or what happens after redundancy rules). WCCFL 6. 187–201.Google Scholar
Lichtenberk, Frantisek (1983). A grammar of Manam. Honolulu: University of Hawaii Press.Google Scholar
Majnep, Ian Saem & Bulmer, Ralph (1983). Some food plants in our Kalam forests, Papua New Guinea. Working Paper 63, Department of Anthropology, University of Auckland.Google Scholar
Majnep, Ian Saem & Bulmer, Ralph (1990). Kalam hunting traditions. Vols 1–6. Department of Anthropology Working Papers, University of Auckland.Google Scholar
Matteson, Esther (1965). The Piro (Arawakan) language. Berkeley: University of California Press.Google Scholar
Newman, Stanley (1944). Yokuts language of California. New York: Viking Fund.Google Scholar
Operstein, Natalie (2007). Prevocalization: evidence for a new model of intrasegmental consonant structure. PhD dissertation, University of California, Los Angeles.Google Scholar
Pawley, Andrew (1966). The structure of Kalam: a grammar of a New Guinea highlands language. PhD dissertation, University of Auckland.Google Scholar
Pawley, Andrew (1992). Kalam Pandanus language: an old New Guinea experiment in language engineering. In Dutton, Tom, Ross, Malcolm & Tryon, Darrell (eds.) The language game: papers in memory of Donald C. Laycock. Canberra: Australian National University. 313–334.Google Scholar
Pawley, Andrew (2001). The Proto Trans New Guinea obstruents: arguments from top-down reconstructions. In Pawley, Andrew, Ross, Malcolm & Tryon, Darrell (eds.) The boy from Bundaberg: studies in Melanesian linguistics in honour of Tom Dutton. Canberra: Australian National University. 261–300.Google Scholar
Pawley, Andrew (2008). Some Trans New Guinea Phylum cognate sets. Computer file, Australian National University.Google Scholar
Pawley, Andrew & Bulmer, Ralph (2003). A dictionary of Kalam with ethnographic notes. Printout and computer file, Australian National University.Google Scholar
Pawley, Andrew & Osmond, Meredith (1998). The Madang group of Papuan languages: cognate sets and sound correspondences. Ms, Australian National University.Google Scholar
Pearce, Mary (2004). Kera foot structure. Ms, University College London.Google Scholar
Rose, Sharon (2000). Epenthesis positioning and syllable contact in Chaha. Phonology 17. 397–425.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Ross, Malcolm, Pawley, Andrew & Osmond, Meredith (eds.) (2003). The lexicon of Proto Oceanic: the culture and environment of ancestral Oceanic society. Vol. 2: The physical environment. Canberra: Australian National University.Google Scholar
Scholz, Lyle (1976). Revised Kalam orthography. Ms, SIL, Ukarumpa.Google Scholar
Scholz, Lyle (1995). Organized phonology data: Kalam [Etip dialect] (Karam) language. Ms, SIL, Ukarumpa.Google Scholar
Selkirk, Elisabeth (1981). Epenthesis and degenerate syllables in Cairene Arabic. In Borer, Hagit & Aoun, Yosef (eds.) Theoretical issues in the grammar of Semitic languages. Cambridge, Mass.: MIT. 111–140.Google Scholar
Smeets, Ineke (2008). A grammar of Mapuche. Berlin & New York: Mouton de Gruyter.Google Scholar
Vennemann, Theo (1988). Preference laws for syllable structure and the explanation of sound change: with special reference to German, Germanic, Italian, and Latin. Berlin: Mouton de Gruyter.Google Scholar
Warner, Natasha, Jongman, Allard, Cutler, Anne & Mücke, Doris (2001). The phonological status of Dutch epenthetic schwa. Phonology 18. 387–420.CrossRefGoogle Scholar