There are no pent syllabic words in this language unless one takes clear
compound words like :
|
  uli
|
‘finger’ |
| jora |
‘joint’ |
| ulijora |
‘finger joint’ |
|
|
The syllabic pattern of the words in this language was discussed in
the preceding paragraphs. A general statement that could be made about it is
almost the entire words in this language belong to the disyllabic and
tri-syllabic words and that the CV/CVC pattern of syllables are the most
frequently occurring ones. |
|
(C) Phonotactics |
Hill defines phonotactics as ‘the area
of phonemics which covers the structural characteristics of sequences’ (Hill :
1958:68). To him phonotactics is essentially description of the distribution of
the phonemes after their identification. The sequences of phonemes can be
described in terms of their clustering habits. A cluster is a sequence of two or
more phonemes of the same class. In this language sequences of both consonants
and vowels do occur, but sequences of vowels are extremely limited in number.
The largest number of consonants that occur in a sequence is three, that too
only in the inter-vocal position and only two vowels can occur in a sequence.
Only one sequence of vowel occurs in word-final position.
A description of the phonetactics of this language may commence with the
clustering habit of the consonants in the word-initial position. In clustering
habits of the consonants in the word-initial position. In this, the largest
number that could occur in a sequence is only two. One of the features to be
noted is that barring a single instance of an unvoiced dental stop, all the
consonants that occur in C2 position of C1
C2 cluster is either a liquid r, l or an approximant y, w
and conversely, all excepting the occurrence of a single fricative, viz. s. all
consonants that occur in C1 position of C1C2
word initial cluster are stops. Next position cannot occur after dentals. Given
below are a few words illustrating the occurrence of C1C2
q clusters at the word-initial position. |
1 Clusters having r as
the second element, e.g.,
|
| (p, t, k, b, d, g) + r. |
| prosar |
‘clergy man’ |
brndikot
|
‘gown’ |
| tris |
‘thirty’ |
‘drama’ |
‘drama’ |
| kripin
|
‘crooked’ |
gramr
|
‘grammar’ |
|
2. Clusters having l as
the second element, e.g.,
(p, k, b, g) + 1 |
| plet |
‘saucer’ |
blotinpep r
|
‘blotting paper’ |
| klark |
‘clerk’ |
glas |
‘tumbler’ |
|
3. Clusters having y as
the second element, e.g.,
(p, g, j, n) + y
|
| pyas |
‘thirst’ |
jyuy |
‘fire’ |
| gyani |
‘wise’ |
nyul |
‘mongoose’ |
|
4. Clusters having s as
the element, e.g.,
s+(t, w, k)
|
| stej |
‘stage’ |
swadin |
‘freedom’ |
skul |
‘school’ |
|
|
Intervocalic consonant clusters :
|
The sequence of
consonants occurring in the word-medial position may be defined
intervocalic clusters, i,e., sequences of consonants occurring
between two vowels. It might, however, be stated that
inter-vocalic clusters are split up between the two adjacent
syllables, for intance,
|
ysth
sy-sthor
systhor
‘health’
|
Since syllable division
is not a phoneme, a sequence of intervocalic consonant cluster
continues to be a cluster, even though the consonants of which is
composed of belong to different syllables.
|
|
The maximum number of consonants that
occur in the word-medial position is three. The data on hand has
only seven such clusters. Of these, four have homorganic
consonants in C1C2
position, and in all the four instances, C1
is a nasal. The consonants occurring in C1C
position of a C1C2C3
clusters also occur as C1C2
clusters in word-initial position. The following are the examples
of C1C2C3
clusters occurring in inter-vocal position.
|
|
gl |
junli |
‘yoke’ |
|
khy |
hokhya |
‘number’ |
| mbl |
smbli |
‘assembly’ |
| nsp |
inspetr |
‘inspector’ |
| yty |
oytyosa |
‘funny’ |
| ysth |
systhor |
‘health’ |
| ktr |
ektres |
‘actress’ |
|
A number of consonant
clusters of C1C2 occur
in inter-vocal position. These may be stated either with reference
to the privilege of occurrence of the C1
with different C2 or of C2
with different C1. If the former is taken
into account, there are as many as 16 sets while the latter has 21
sets. In addition, four consonants occur in C1C1
sequences. These sets are given below. |
