Due: Session 10
Part 1: Greenlandic Vowels
Examine the distribution of the vowels [i, e, u, o, ɑ] in the data below. Your task is to analyze the data and determine what the underlying vowels are, and how many of them there are. It’s possible that there are fewer than five underlying vowels, and that some of these surface vowels are really allophones of a single underlying vowel phoneme. Or maybe not. You decide.
[ʀ] is a uvular trill, [q] a voiceless uvular stop.
- ivnɑq ‘bluff’
- imɑq ‘sea’
- itumɑq ‘palm of hand’
- iseʀɑq ‘ankle’
- qɑsɑloq ‘bark’
- qilɑluvɑq ‘white whale’
- sɑkiɑk ‘rib’
- oʀpik ‘tree’
- mɑʀʀɑq ‘clay’
- ipeʀɑq ‘harpoon strap’
- tuluvɑq ‘raven’
- nɑnoq ‘bear’
- seʀmeq ‘glacier’
- ikusik ‘elbow’
- qɑtigɑk ‘back’
- ugsik ‘cow’
- neʀdloq ‘goose’
Once you have determined what the underlying vowels are, formulate a rule or rules (if your analysis requires them) that accounts for all the data above. You can state the rule using prose: for example, you could say something like “The back vowels become front vowels before nasal consonants,” if you think that’s the right rule (spoiler: it’s not!). Your analysis should include a lexicon (with each of the words in its underlying form), in addition to a few sample derivations.
Part 2: Transcription
Rewrite these sentences in standard English spelling (putting in whatever punctuation seems appropriate). The transcription corresponds (roughly) to the pronunciation of Norvin Richards, and of course your accent may be different! If you do notice differences, feel free to write us a note about them.
- ðij ʌðəɹ dej aj gɑt awt ə kʰæn opənəɹ ænd wəz opənɪŋ ə kʰæn əv wəɹmz wɛn aj θɔt wʌt æm aj duwɪŋ
- juw sej tʰəmeɾow ænd aj sej tʰəmɑɾow
- ʃen ɪz spɛld ɛs etʃ ej ɛn ij
- ə læŋgwədʒ ɪz ə dajəlɛkt wɪθ ən ɑɹmij ænd ə nevij
- aj hæv ə dɹim ðæt wʌn dej ðɪs neʃən wɪl ɹajz ʌp ænd lɪv awt ðə tɹuw minɪŋ əv ɪts kɹid
- nobəɾi noz wʌt wets əhɛd bijɑnd ðij əɹθ ænd skaj
- ðə wəɹld wɪl lɪɾəl not noɹ lɔŋ ɹəmɛmbəɹ wʌt wij sej hiɹ bʌt ɪt kʰæn nɛvəɹ fəɹgɛt wʌt ðej dɪd hiɹ
- wɛn juw khʌm tuw ə foɹk ɪn ðə ɹod thek ɪt
- ðə ful ɔn ðə hɪl siz ðə sʌn gowɪŋ dawn
- sʌmwʌn ɪz ɹɔŋ ɔn ðə ɪntəɹnɛt
- aj lajk ɛskəleɾəɹz bəkɔz ən ɛskəleɾəɹ kən nɛvəɹ bɹek ɪt kən onlij bəkʰʌm steɹz
