The Representation of Vowel Length

Odden, David

doi:10.1002/9781444335262.wbctp0020

Cited by 11 publications

(14 citation statements)

References 18 publications

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“…Critical evaluations of hypothesized cases can be found in Odden (2011) and Prehn (2012). Both conclude that the analysis of three-level vowel length can be rejected for most languages for which it has been invoked, including Estonian, Low German, Mixe and Applecross Gaelic.…”

Section: Data and Theory In Relation To Three-level Vowel Lengthmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…However, there is one language for which both find that three-level vowel length is the best phonological analysis of the quantity contrast: Dinka, a Nilo-Saharan language spoken in South Sudan (Odden 2011: 486-487, Prehn 2012. For this language, the hypothesis of threelevel vowel length is supported by phonological and phonetic investigations on several dialects (Andersen 1987(Andersen , 1990(Andersen , 1992(Andersen -1994Flack 2007;Remijsen & Gilley 2008;Remijsen 2013Remijsen , 2014.…”

Section: Data and Theory In Relation To Three-level Vowel Lengthmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Ternary vowel length in Shilluk

2019

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Ternary or three-level vowel length is typologically rare, and supporting evidence is limited. This paper presents the results of an investigation into the hypothesised case of this configuration in Shilluk. We first describe the role of vowel length in Shilluk phonology and morphology, and then report on an acoustic study in which minimal sets for vowel length (short, long, overlong) are measured for vowel duration, coda duration, vowel quality and fundamental frequency. Short, long and overlong vowels differ significantly and substantially in terms of vowel duration: 96% of the items can be classified successfully for vowel length on the basis of this measurement alone. Of the other measurements, only vowel quality is significant, and this effect is considerably smaller. The mean values for vowel duration – 68, 111 and 150 ms for short, long and overlong vowels respectively – are similar to those reported for ternary vowel length in Dinka.

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Section: Data and Theory In Relation To Three-level Vowel Lengthmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Data and Theory In Relation To Three-level Vowel Lengthmentioning

confidence: 99%

Ternary vowel length in Shilluk

2019

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“…Indeed, all types of CL generally occur in order to face problems of prosodic imbalance due to the loss of one mora in the coda position, which requires a CL through the lengthening of the previous vowel (Hayes 1989;Kenstowicz 1994: 432;Odden 2011). CL aimed at the restoration of one mora is a widespread process in IE.…”

Section: State Of the Artmentioning

confidence: 99%

A new interpretation of Lachmann’s Law

Angelis

Chilà

2015

Folia Linguistica

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In Latin, a short vowel followed by a voiced plosive undergoes lengthening in the past participle (Lachmann's law). Many of these ppp. show a nasal segment inherited from the present or perfect stem. In a few ppp. moving from a dental stem, such as pēnsus, spōnsus etc., such a spreading provides the condition for the formation of the cluster -ns-( < *-nd-þ -to). By observing the supposed omission of -n-in some of these verbal forms (e.g.: frēsus vs. frĕndo), regardless of the effective status of the process, as opposed to its retention in other ones (e.g.: pēnsus vs. pĕndeo/pĕndo), Latin speakers could have hypothesized that all ppp. forms of this group were originally provided with -n-, see e.g. frēsus < *frĕnsus, with loss of -n-and compensatory lengthening of the preceding vowel. The 'NS-lengthening' rule might represent an early trigger of the vowel lengthening described by Lachmann. Such a lengthening analogically spread to other ppp., according to a connectionist lexical process.

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“…Given that robust ternary length distinctions even in vowels are quite rare (see Odden 2011) and that their phonological nature is usually either unknown or epiphenomenal, 3 an understanding of the phonological nature of ternary length in North Saami will contribute substantially to our overall understanding of purported phonological ternarity.…”

Section: Surface and Underlying Inventorymentioning

confidence: 99%

An analysis of North Saami gradation

2012

Self Cite

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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.

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The Representation of Vowel Length

Cited by 11 publications

References 18 publications

Ternary vowel length in Shilluk

Ternary vowel length in Shilluk

A new interpretation of Lachmann’s Law

An analysis of North Saami gradation

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