Publisher: YALE UNIVERSITY
Publication date: 2000
Number of pages: 197
This thesis sets out, in some detail, the grammatical structure of the Tuvan language.
Examples given herein are nearly all taken from original data collected by the author during
fieldwork in 1996, 1998, 1999 and 2000. Chapter one provides a general overview of the
grammar, including phonology, morphology and syntax.
Chapter two presents an acoustic study of the unique pitch accent system. We
develop a hypothesis that the phonologically salient feature is pitch contour. Other acoustic
qualities such as quantity are determined, we argue, by the dynamics of producing the right
contour.
Chapter three considers two complex phonologcial processes and their interaction.
First, Tuvan is shown to have a kind of hiatus resolution in which low vowels dominate
regardless of their relative position. This type was previously thought to be rare among the
world’s languages. Second, a process of velar deletion is shown to ‘feed’ hiatus resolution.
Velar deletion is shown to be a robust phonological process, yet one that is blocked in a
non-uniform subset of environments. Blocking of velar deletion arises, we demonstrate, to
enhance recoverability of an identifiable class of ‘small’ morphological elements (i.e. short
stems and short suffixes).
Publication date: 2000
Number of pages: 197
This thesis sets out, in some detail, the grammatical structure of the Tuvan language.
Examples given herein are nearly all taken from original data collected by the author during
fieldwork in 1996, 1998, 1999 and 2000. Chapter one provides a general overview of the
grammar, including phonology, morphology and syntax.
Chapter two presents an acoustic study of the unique pitch accent system. We
develop a hypothesis that the phonologically salient feature is pitch contour. Other acoustic
qualities such as quantity are determined, we argue, by the dynamics of producing the right
contour.
Chapter three considers two complex phonologcial processes and their interaction.
First, Tuvan is shown to have a kind of hiatus resolution in which low vowels dominate
regardless of their relative position. This type was previously thought to be rare among the
world’s languages. Second, a process of velar deletion is shown to ‘feed’ hiatus resolution.
Velar deletion is shown to be a robust phonological process, yet one that is blocked in a
non-uniform subset of environments. Blocking of velar deletion arises, we demonstrate, to
enhance recoverability of an identifiable class of ‘small’ morphological elements (i.e. short
stems and short suffixes).