Intro to Linguistics Autumn 2010

Phonology homework 2

Due Wednesday, December 1

1. Even (30 points)

Even is a Tungusic language spoken in Yakutia, Siberia. The following data comes from the
Olsk dialect.

[Cʲ] = palatalized consonant ([lʲ], [qʲ])

[ç] = voiceless palatal fricative (farther back than palato-alveolar [ʃ])
[q] = voiceless uvular stop (farther back than velar [k])

[nɪsa] ‘bead’ [çiævʊs] ‘rotted’ [huːn] ‘blows’

[bʊlʊs] ‘sad’ [hɛr] ‘bottom’ [hɔn] ‘his skill’

[hor] ‘cave’ [hɛssə] ‘sole’ [hat] ‘foundation’

[çilʲ] ‘soup’ [hoːksi] ‘hot’ [çɪrqan] ‘knife’

[bʊsqʲɪ] ‘spectacles’ [haːn] ‘knows’ [ɔsɪqam] ‘star’

[çiep] ‘pocket’ [hula] ‘vein’ [hʊl] ‘poplar’

[us] ‘weapon’

1.1 The sounds [ç], [h], and [s] are in complementary distribution in Even. What governs this
distribution? Explain your answer in detail. (15 points)

1.2 Is the distribution of these sounds phonetically natural in any way? Do any of these
assimilate to the features of their local context? Explain your answer. (10 points)

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1.3 Based on your answer to (1.1), what would you predict that the word ‘Soviet’ ([sovʲɛ:t],
locally) is pronounced when it is borrowed by Even speakers? Explain your answer. (5
points)

2. Sierra Popoluca (30 points)

[c] = voiceless alveolar affricate

[ʔ] = voiceless glottal stop (articulated at the larynx)
[tʲ] = alveopalatal stop
[Cʰ] = aspirated stop ([pʰ], [tʰ], [tʲʰ], [kʰ])

[petʰkuy] ‘broom’ [hu:tʲʰ] ‘where’ [petta:pʰ] ‘it is being swept’

[ikapun] ‘his barrow’ [kekʰpaʔ] ‘it flies’ [mokʰ] ‘corn’

[toc] ‘tongue’ [nɨpʰ] ‘mouth’ [nɨkʰpaʔ] ‘he goes’

[ikkaʔ] ‘he killed it’ [tʲuːkiʔ] ‘turtle’ [makʰtiʔ] ‘ghost’

[ʃiʃ] ‘cow’ [hoːppaʔ] ‘it rolls’ [hos] ‘hole’

[pikʰʃiʔ] ‘bow’ [caːm] ‘very’ [witʲʰpaʔ] ‘he walks’

[kuy] ‘wood’

2.1 Is the presence of aspiration predictable or not? That is, is it allophonic or phonemic? Explain
your answer in detail. (14 points)

2.2 Setting aside [ʔ], how many phonemic voiceless stops are there in Sierra Popoluca? List
them, and explain your answer. (10 points)

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2.3 Some of the stops in the following two words are aspirated; however, I have removed the
aspiration symbols from the transcriptions. Based on your answer to (2a), can you predict
which stops should be aspirated? If so, do so (provide complete transcriptions of each word),
and explain your choices. If not, why not? (6 points)

[ p e t p a ʔ ] ‘he sweeps’ [ t iː t t i t ] ‘mestizo’

3. Indonesian prefixes (40 points)

3.1 Consider the following data. Ignore the mysterious [-i] suffix in a couple of forms.

Simple form Prefixed form Meaning Simple form Prefixed form Meaning

[lempar] [mәlempar] ‘throw’ [wakil] [mәwakili] ‘represent’

[yakin] [mәyakini] ‘convince’ [masak] [mәmasak] ‘cook’

[nikah] [mәnikah] ‘marry’ [ŋaco] [mәŋaco] ‘chat’

[gambar] [mәŋgambar] ‘draw a picture’ [dәŋar] [mәndәŋar] ‘hear’

[bantu] [mәmbantu] ‘help’ [undaŋ] [mәŋundaŋ] ‘invite’

[ambil] [mәŋambil] ‘take’ [isi] [mәŋisi] ‘fill up’

a. The prefix can have many different allomorphic forms. List them all, and state the
phonological conditions under which each appears. You may not need all rows. (10
points)

PREFIX FORM PHONOLOGICAL CONDITIONS: Where does this form appear?

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b. Of the forms you listed in (3.1a), which is the underlying form of the prefix? Explain why
you selected this form. (10 points)

3.2 The following additional data is both similar to and different from the data above:

[kirim] [mәŋirim] ‘send’ [pilih] [mәmilih] ‘to choose/vote’

[tulis] [mәnulis] ‘write’ [kasih] [mәŋasih] ‘to change’

[pukul] [mәmukul] ‘hit’

a. Describe the phonological processes in action here: how is the behavior of these words
similar to that of the words above? How is it different? Refer to specific features. (7
points)

b. If you give an Indonesian speaker an unfamiliar nonsense word, the speaker knows
automatically whether this word behaves like those in 3.1 or like those in 3.2. How does a
speaker figure this out? (3 points)

3.3 Which of these allomorphic changes to Indonesial roots and prefixes in both 3.1 and 3.2 are
phonetically natural? Explain your answer. (10 points)