Block 4 · pages 19-26
Chapter 2: Vowels – Inventory, Contrasts, Realizations, and Distribution
2.3 Vowels
2.3.1 Inventory of Vowels
Phonetically, Tadaksahak has short vowels [i, ɪ, e, ɛ, ə, a, ʌ, ɔ, o, ʊ, u] and long vowels [iː, uː, eː, oː, ɛː, ʌː, aː, ɑː]. Phonemically, these reduce to five short vowels /i, e, ə, a, o, u/ and five long vowels /ii, ee, aa, oo, uu/. The mid vowels /e, o/ are relatively rare in open syllables.
2.3.2 Evidence of Vocalic Contrasts
Minimal or near-minimal pairs demonstrate contrasts for short vowels (e.g., /i/ vs /e/: danji 'charcoal' / danjé 'silence'; /a/ vs /u/: didá 'walk' / dudú 'flow') and long vowels (e.g., /i/ vs /ii/: ciji 'night' / ciidi 'salt'; /aa/ vs /oo/: áarab 'Arab' / óorag 'flame'). Evidence for a phonemic length contrast in mid vowels /o/-/oo/ is relatively weak; long mid vowels are much more frequent than their short counterparts.
2.3.3 Vowel Realizations
Pharyngealized consonants, as well as uvular and pharyngeal consonants (x, ɣ, q, ħ, ʕ), influence vowel realizations. /a/ is lowered and retracted to [ɑ] in such environments. Unstressed vowels tend to be pronounced more central and lax. Schwa is heavily dependent on phonetic context.
2.3.3.1 Palatals preceding and following /a/
Palatal phonemes /c/, /j/, and /y/ strongly influence a following /a/ in a closed syllable of a monosyllabic root. The contrast between /a/ and /e/ is neutralized, both realized as [e] (e.g., yaw 'female camel' [jew], plural yaawen [jaːwen]). Similarly, a syllable closed by /y/ neutralizes /a/ to [e] (e.g., zay 'theft' [zej]).
2.3.4 Vowel Distribution
Long vowels occur only in non-final open syllables. In closed syllables and word-finally, only short vowels are allowed. Schwa cannot occur word-finally. There are few restrictions on combinations of vowel qualities in a word, though combinations of two mid vowels (/e/, /o/) or /u/-/o/ and /o/-/o/ are rare and mostly found in borrowings.
Keywords : vowels inventory contrast vowel length pharyngealization palatal influence neutralization distribution
This grammar point in the works
Passages from the site’s works on this topic, with the page cited: the original text is authoritative.
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… ............................................................ 9 2.2 Consonants ......................................................................... 9 2.2.1 Inventory of phonemes............................................. 9 2.2.2 Evidence of Consonantal Constrasts ......................10 2.2.3 Distributional Restrictions........................................13 2.2.3.1 Labials b and f ..................................................14 2.2.3.2 Plosives................ …
Christiansen-Bolli (2010), A Grammar of Tadaksahak, a Northern Songhay Language of Mali, p. 4
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… syllables only occur in word-final position and always contain the feminine singular suffix -t as their final element, e.g. tadábert ‘pigeon’ (see 3.2.2). Long vowels only occur in non-final open syllables. 2.2 Consonants Consonants 2.2.1 Inventory of phonemes There are 32 consonantal phonemes. The whole series of the alveolar consonants also appears pharyngealized. This feature is marked by a dot under the consonant. The signs are the orthographic representations used in thi …
Christiansen-Bolli (2010), A Grammar of Tadaksahak, a Northern Songhay Language of Mali, p. 26
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… arbuste (sp) Yaníd avoir de la fièvre yaṇǝṇ dresser (chameau) Restrictions de répartition Dans les sous-sections suivantes, nous examinons les restrictions de distribution des différentes consonnes. Un type de consonne trouvé "dans toutes les positions " signifie que les positions "initiale du mot, initiale de la syllabe, intervocalique, finale de la syllabe et finale du mot" sont attestées dans nos données. Les consonances-séquences sont également discutées pour la position …
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… aines flexions et dans toutes les dérivations. Le groupe (c) perd la consonne finale dans la nominalisation alors que la dernière syllabe ne compte pas pour la distribution de l'accent. Les racines verbales d'origine tamasheq de plus de deux syllabes ont tendance à avoir des voyelles "neutralisées". Le schwa est de loin le plus fréquent dans cette classe de verbes. Les consonnes postérieures (par exemple ɣ, ħ, ʕ) ont tendance à 'attirer' la voyelle basse [a] et les consonnes …