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Tigrinya Handout
Tigrinya Handout
Tigrinya
PHONETIC INFLUENCE OF L1
ON SAE SPEECH
INVENTORY PRODUCTION
Tigrinya and SAE share a majority of their phonemes. Major differences include: Although a majority of
-A trill ("r") Tigrinya native speakers are
-More palatal and alveolar sounds than SAE
monolingual, those who
-Uvular and pharyngeal sounds (/ħ/ and /ʕ/ preserved from the ancient Ge’ez language)
-More sounds are produced in the back of the vocal tract compared to SAE immigrate to the U.S. may
-Symmetric seven vowel inventory common in Ethiopic Semitic languages (i, ə, u, e, ä, o, a) have the following
-Ejective consonants: enhanced glottal constrictions, ex. /p'/, /t'/, /ts'/, /ʧ'/, /k'/, and /kw'/
characteristics in their
(Some Basics, 2003)
everyday speech
Gemination: (Thompson, 2017):
-Doubling the length of a consonant 1. Vowels - shortening of
-Morphological marker typically
accompanied by other markers
vowels, raising of vowels,
-Used on all consonants except lowering of vowels.
pharyngeal and glottal 2. Consonants - r-trill for
-Written as two letters
/r/, lack of /th/ both voiced
Few minimal pairs by gemination exist and voiceless.
ex. /kʼɐrrɐbɐ/, ('he brought forth') 3. Syllable Structure - vowel
/kʼɐrɐbɐ/, ('he came closer')
insertion (e.g. schwa)
between syllable structures.
Helpful Links:
PHONOTACTIC Recordings from the Speech
Accent Archive
CONSTRAINTS http://accent.gmu.edu/brow
se_language.php?
-Consonant clusters do not occur at the beginning of words.
function=find&language=ti
-Epenthesis is used to create syllables.
-Some vowels must be paired with a nuclear karat, some consonants grigna
break off into a new syllable with epenthesis. Phonetic Inventory from
-Only CV and CVC.
the Speech Accent Archive
-CVV words do not exist because long vowels don't exist (Buckley, 1997)
http://accent.gmu.edu/brow
se_native.php?
function=detail&languageid
=68
CSD 623 | NOV 2018
Implications
It is essential to know that most of the Tigrinya speakers living in African countries are
not usually bilingual. That means that while living in the United States, it is likely that they
will be very new English speakers and will very likely require a translator and copies of all
forms in their native language. This is especially true for the parents/older family
members, as their children will most likely be learning English if enrolled in public schools
ዝገበረልካስ ወይ ገበረሉ
ወይ ንገረሉ።
For those who have favored
Influence of L1 on you, either return the favor or
tell others about it
SAE Grammar
Origin: Tigrinya stems from an
Ethio-Eritrean Semitic
Language, which branches into
North Ethiopian and Eritrean
Languages - where Ge'ez and INFLUENCE OF L1
CULTURE ON SAE
Tigrinya originate from.
derivational forms. "Broken -Importance of Religion (most are -Avoid making any strong religious
Plurals" are a common result of Ethiopian Orthodox) statements (best practice for clients of
any culture)
this root pattern.
-Community-Based Ideals, High -Be respectful of any cultural
Nouns and Pronouns: Value of Tradition, and Strong restrictions or wishes from the family.
Sense of Identity Be aware of their strong value of self-
Inanimate nouns are not marked identity and be careful when
for gender, while modifiers are explaining things to avoid seeming
either masculine or feminine. critical
Annotated Bibliography
Additional Resources