LINGUIST List 13.552

Thu Feb 28 2002

Qs: Phonology: Copy Vowels

Editor for this issue: Karen Milligan <karenlinguistlist.org>

Directory

1. Nancy E Hall, copy vowels

	There are examples where epenthetic copy vowels show
'overapplication' of a phonological process. For example, Winnebago
normally nasalizes vowels after a nasal consonant as in [wanIk] 'bird'
(capital = nasalized vowel). Winnebago also inserts a copy vowel into
obstruent + sonorant clusters. In these cases, the copy vowel will
undergo nasalization if the original vowel does, even though the copy
vowel is not on the surface in a position where nasalization is
expected: /kank/ -> [kAnAk] 'marry'.
	
I am looking for more examples of overapplication as well as
examples of 2 other possible behaviors of copy vowels:

1. Cases where a copy vowel and original vowel end up different due to
normal, contextual variation. For example, where different allophones
of the same vowel show up in the original and copy, or where one only
one vowel undergoes some process such as ablaut.

2. Cases where both the original vowel and copy vowel undergo a
process that only the COPY is in the normal position for.

This is part of a project to study subtypes of copy vowel epenthesis.
I will post a summary of responses.

Thank you,
Nancy Hall

nancyhlinguist.umass.edu
University of Massachusetts-Amherst