Hostname: page-component-8448b6f56d-tj2md Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-04-19T08:00:43.171Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

An analysis of North Saami gradation*

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  06 September 2012

Berit Anne Bals Baal ,
David Odden  and
Curt Rice
Berit Anne Bals Baal
Affiliation:
University of Tromsø
David Odden
Affiliation:
Ohio State University
Curt Rice
Affiliation:
University of Tromsø
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract

This paper gives a moraic analysis of gemination and laryngeal alternations associated with consonant gradation in North Saami. Gradation gives rise to a surface three-way length distinction in consonants, which is essential to understanding length in vowels and diphthongs. It is explained by a system of prosodic rules applying to underlying representations containing only a two-way contrast between geminate and singleton consonants, plus a floating mora present in certain suffixes, which results in surface alternations between extra-long and long or between long and short consonants. An enlightening explanation of quantity alternations is available if one exploits the possibility implicit in moraic theory that the relationship between segments and moras can be surface-contrastive, and we show that recourse to trimoraic syllables is unnecessary, despite the surface three-way length difference. These prosodic alternations also result in shifts in the timing of preaspiration and preglottalisation, as well as loss of these laryngeal specifications.

Type
Articles
Information
Phonology , Volume 29 , Issue 2 , August 2012 , pp. 165 - 212
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2012

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

Bals, Berit Anne, Odden, David & Rice, Curt (2007). The phonology of gradation in North Saami. Available (April 2012) at http://www.ling.ohio-state.edu/~odden/SaamiGradation2007.pdf.Google Scholar
Bergsland, Knut (1961). Samisk grammatikk. Oslo: Kirke- og Undervisningsdepartementet.Google Scholar
Blevins, Juliette (2003). The phonology of Yurok glottalized sonorants: segmental fission under syllabification. IJAL 69. 371–396.Google Scholar
Broselow, Ellen, Chen, Su-I & Huffman, Marie (1997). Syllable weight: convergence of phonology and phonetics. Phonology 14. 47–82.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Buckley, Eugene (1994). Theoretical aspects of Kashaya phonology and morphology. Stanford: CSLI.Google Scholar
Bye, Patrik (2005). Coda maximisation in Northwest Saamic. Nordic Journal of Linguistics 28. 189–221.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Clements, G. N. (1985). The geometry of phonological features. Phonology Yearbook 2. 225–252.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Clements, G. N. & Hume, Elizabeth V. (1995). The internal organization of speech sounds. In Goldsmith, John A. (ed.) The handbook of phonological theory. Cambridge, Mass. & Oxford: Blackwell. 245–306.Google Scholar
Clements, G. N. & Keyser, Samuel J. (1983). CV phonology: a generative theory of the syllable. Cambridge, Mass.: MIT Press.Google Scholar
Crowhurst, Megan & Michael, Lev (2005). Iterative footing and prominence-driven stress in Nanti (Kampa). Lg 81. 47–95.Google Scholar
Curtis, Emily (2003). Geminate weight: case studies and formal models. PhD dissertation, University of Washington.Google Scholar
Davis, Stuart (1994). Geminate consonants in moraic phonology. WCCFL 13. 32–45.Google Scholar
Davis, Stuart (2011). Geminates. In van Oostendorp, et al. (2011). 873–897.Google Scholar
Dell, François & Tangi, Oufae (1992). Syllabification and empty nuclei in Ath-Sidhar Rifian Berber. Journal of African Languages and Linguistics 13. 125–162.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Einarsson, Stefán (1945). Icelandic: grammar, texts, glossary. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins Press.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Fujimura, Osamu (2000). The C/D model and prosodic control of articulatory behavior. Phonetica 57. 128–138.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Garnes, Sara (1976). Quantity in Icelandic: production and perception. Hamburg: Buske.Google Scholar
Golston, Chris & Kehrein, Wolfgang (1998). Mazatec onsets and nuclei. IJAL 64. 311–337.Google Scholar
Hall, T. A. (2001). The distribution of superheavy syllables in Modern English. Folia Linguistica 35. 399–442.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Ham, William H. (1998). Phonetic and phonological aspects of geminate timing. PhD dissertation, Cornell University.Google Scholar
Hansson, Gunnar Ólafur (2003). Laryngeal licensing and laryngeal neutralization in Faroese and Icelandic. Nordic Journal of Linguistics 26. 45–79.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Harms, Robert T. (1964). Finnish structural sketch. Bloomington: Indiana University.Google Scholar
Hayes, Bruce (1986). Assimilation as spreading in Toba Batak. LI 17. 467–499.Google Scholar
Hayes, Bruce (1989). Compensatory lengthening in moraic phonology. LI 20. 253–306.Google Scholar
Hayes, Bruce (1990). Diphthongisation and coindexing. Phonology 7. 31–71.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Helgason, Pétur (2002). Preaspiration in the Nordic languages: synchronic and diachronic aspects. PhD dissertation, Stockholm University.Google Scholar
Hermans, Ben (1985). The relation between aspiration and preaspiration in Icelandic. In Hulst, Harry van der & Smith, Norval (eds.) Advances in nonlinear phonology. Dordrecht: Foris. 237–265.Google Scholar
Hock, Hans Henrich (1986). Compensatory lengthening: in defense of the concept ‘mora’. Folia Linguistica 20. 431–460.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Hubbard, Kathleen (1995). ‘Prenasalised consonants’ and syllable timing: evidence from Runyambo and Luganda. Phonology 12. 235–256.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Hume, Elizabeth, Muller, Jennifer & van Engelhoven, Aone (1997). Non-moraic geminates in Leti. Phonology 14. 371–402.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Hyman, Larry M. (1985). A theory of phonological weight. Dordrecht: Foris.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Itô, Junko (1989). A prosodic theory of epenthesis. NLLT 7. 217–259.Google Scholar
Kahn, D. (1976). Syllable-based generalizations in English phonology. PhD dissertation, MIT. Distributed by Indiana University Linguistics Club.Google Scholar
Keer, Edward (1999). Icelandic preaspiration and the moraic theory of geminates. Available as ROA-312 from the Rutgers Optimality Archive.Google Scholar
Kehrein, Wolfgang & Golston, Chris (2004). A prosodic theory of laryngeal contrasts. Phonology 21. 325–357.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Kehrein, Wolfgang & Golston, Chris). A prosodic theory of laryngeal timing. University of Amsterdam & California State University Fresno.Google Scholar
Kiparsky, Paul (2011). Compensatory lengthening. In Cairns, Charles E. & Raimy, Eric (eds.) Handbook of the syllable. Leiden & Boston: Brill. 33–69.Google Scholar
Ladefoged, Peter & Maddieson, Ian (1996). The sounds of the world's languages. Oxford & Malden, Mass.: Blackwell.Google Scholar
Lehiste, Ilse (1965). The function of quantity in Finnish and Estonian. Lg 41. 447–456.Google Scholar
Lin, Yen-Hwei (1997). Syllabic and moraic structures in Piro. Phonology 14. 403–436.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
McCarthy, John J. (1979). Formal problems in Semitic phonology and morphology. PhD dissertation, MIT.Google Scholar
McCarthy, John J. (1986). OCP effects: gemination and antigemination. LI 17. 207–263.Google Scholar
McCarthy, John J. (1988). Feature geometry and dependency: a review. Phonetica 45. 84–108.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
McCarthy, John J. (2007). Hidden generalizations: phonological opacity in Optimality Theory. London: Equinox.Google Scholar
Maddieson, Ian (1993). Splitting the mora. UCLA Working Papers in Phonetics 83. 9–18.Google Scholar
Magga, Tomas (1984). Duration in the quantity of bisyllabics in the Guovdageaidnu dialect of North Lappish. Oulu: University of Oulu.Google Scholar
Morén, Bruce (1999). Distinctiveness, coercion and sonority: a unified theory of weight. PhD dissertation, University of Maryland, College Park.Google Scholar
Nickel, Klaus Peter (1994). Samisk grammatikk. Kárášjohka: Davvi Girji.Google Scholar
Nielsen, Konrad (1926–29). Lærebok i lappisk (samisk). 3 vols. Oslo: Universitetsforlaget.Google Scholar
Odden, David (1996). Some theoretical issues in Estonian prosody. In Lehiste, Ilse & Ross, Jaan (eds.) Estonian prosody: papers from a symposium. Tallinn: Institute of Estonian Language. 165–195.Google Scholar
Odden, David (2011). The representation of vowel length. In van Oostendorp, et al. (2011). 465–490.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Oostendorp, Marc van (2008). Incomplete devoicing in formal phonology. Lingua 118. 1362–1374.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Oostendorp, Marc van, Ewen, Colin J., Hume, Elizabeth & Rice, Keren) (2011). The Blackwell companion to phonology. Malden, Mass.: Wiley-Blackwell.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Prince, Alan (1980). A metrical theory for Estonian quantity. LI 11. 511–562.Google Scholar
Ringen, Catherine O. (1999). Aspiration, preaspiration, deaspiration, sonorant devoicing and spirantization in Icelandic. Nordic Journal of Linguistics 22. 137–156.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Russell, Bertrand (2000). History of western philosophy. London: Allen & Unwin.Google Scholar
Sammallahti, Pekka (1998). The Saami languages: an introduction. Kárášjohka: Davvi Girji.Google Scholar
Sherer, Tim D. (1994). Prosodic phonotactics. PhD dissertation, University of Massachusetts, Amherst.Google Scholar
Silverman, Daniel (2003). On the rarity of pre-aspirated stops. JL 39. 575–598.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Steriade, Donca (1982). Greek prosodies and the nature of syllabification. PhD dissertation, MIT.Google Scholar
Svenonius, Peter (2008). Paradigm generation and Northern Sámi stems. In Bachrach, Asaf & Nevins, Andrew (eds.) Inflectional identity. Oxford: Oxford University Press. 73–100.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Thráinsson, Höskuldur (1978). On the phonology of Icelandic preaspiration. Nordic Journal of Linguistics 1. 3–54.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Topintzi, Nina (2008). On the existence of moraic onset geminates. NLLT 26. 147–184.Google Scholar
Vago, Robert M. (1989). Empty consonants in the moraic phonology of Hungarian. Acta Linguistica Hungarica 39. 293–316.Google Scholar
Zec, Draga (1988). Sonority constraints on prosodic structure. PhD dissertation, Stanford University.Google Scholar
Zec, Draga (2007). The syllable. In de Lacy, Paul (ed.) The Cambridge handbook of phonology. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. 161–194.CrossRefGoogle Scholar