Published In

Journal of West African Languages

Document Type

Article

Publication Date

1991

Subjects

Nasality (Phonetics), Atlantic languages, Kissi language -- Ideophone, Niger-Congo languages

Abstract

This paper presents the various manifestations of nasality in Kisi, a Mel language belonging to the Southern Branch of (West) Atlantic. In this language, as in many West African languages, nasality plays a prominent role in the language's sound system and grammar. Nasality in Kisi is realized phonetically on both consonants and vowels and phonologically on consonants. There are even cases of 'spontaneous nasalization', situations in which there is no nearby nasal segment to contribute the nasal feature. Nasality may also function in the morphology and is used expressively for emphasis. The findings reported here will be of use to those interested in reconstruction and diachronic processes within Niger-Congo, e.g. Stewart 1983, 1985, Hombert 1986, Williamson 1987, as welJ as to language typologists, e.g. Ferguson 1963, 1975, Ruhlen 1978, Maddieson 1984, Herbert 1986.

Ce travail decrit Jes differentes realisations de la nasalite en Kissi, une Jangue mel du groupe (ouest-) atlantique. Dans cette Jangue, ainsi que dans plusieurs Jangues de l'Afrique occidentale, Ia nasalite est importante tant au niveau phonologique que grammatical. Malgre J'absence de voyelJes nasales phonologiques, la nasalite se manifeste phonetiquement sur Jes consonnes et sur Jes voyelles. II y a aussi des exemples de nasalisation spontanee qui montrent que Jes voyelles peuvent etre nasalisees sans qu'elles se trouvent dans le voisinage de consonnes nasales. La nasalite peut egalement jouer un role dans la morphologic pour mettre en valeur des expressions specifiques. Les resultats de la presente analyse seront utiles a ceux qui s'interessent a la linguistique diachronic et a la reconstruction des langues Niger-Congo, par exemple, Stewart 1983, 1985, Hombert 1986, Williamson 1987, ainsi qu'a la typologie, par exemple, Ferguson 1963, 1975, Ruhlen 1978, Maddieson 1984, Herbert 1986.

Description

Note: At the time of writing, Dr. Childs was affiliated with Temple University, University of the Witwatersrand.

Persistent Identifier

https://archives.pdx.edu/ds/psu/27690

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