LINGUIST List 15.3208

Mon Nov 15 2004

Sum: Minimal Pairs in Uighur

Editor for this issue: Jessica Boynton <jessicalinguistlist.org>

To post to LINGUIST, use our convenient web form at http://linguistlist.org/LL/posttolinguist.html.

Directory

1. Jennifer Seale, Minimal Pairs in Uighur

Message 1: Minimal Pairs in Uighur

Date: 15-Nov-2004
From: Jennifer Seale <jenmseale

hotmail.com>
Subject: Minimal Pairs in Uighur

Regarding query http://www.linguistlist.org/issues/15/15-3145.html

The following are responses that I recieved on my question regarding
minimal pairs in Uighur. It has been suggested I post them so that we all
may benefit. Thank you so much for your replies!

Patrick Chew suggested the following resources:

Ronald Hahn's "Spoken Uyghur"
Vern Lindblad's work on vowels in Uyghur
Vaux's work on Uyghur at the following URL:
http://www.uwm.edu/~vaux/uyghur.pdf

Ann Denwood supplied minimal pairs along with the following explanations:

1. Firstly, Uighur has a phenomenon similar to some speakers of British
English who insert a linking r, eg. shah - r - of Persia, vanilla -r-
icecream etc.

Uighur baha 'price, value' and bahar 'spring, season'

baha-r-im and bahar- im (1st p. poss)

Both these words are exceptions in the sense that they do not obey the
so-called 'umlaut' rule, whereby we would predict *bahirim. This has to
do with their origin in Arabic or Persian (I think) and the fact that the
vowel a is long in their original language. (Also baha should become baham
and not baharim if it behaved regularly)

2. The other phenomenon is a/i alternation (mentioned above), which can
make apparent minimal pairs.

at 'horse' itim 'my horse' itimda/itimde 'my horse(loc)'

et 'meat' itim itimde

it 'dog' itim itimde (although this may be pronounced sht, shtim etc).

3. This alternation fails in another pair of words.

bala 'child' balisi (3p.poss)

bala 'disaster' balasi (3p poss). Again an Arabic word with original
final long vowel and missing consonant.

Linguistic Field(s): Phonology

Subject Language(s): Uyghur (Language Code: UIG)
Respond to list|Read more issues|LINGUIST home page|Top of issue