Re: THEORY: Allophones

At 22:53 17/06/99 -0300, you wrote:
>I know we discussed this before, but I have a doubt
>concerning allophones and phonetic change rules.
>Suppose there's a language allowing a syllable
>structure CVF (F = fricative or liquid), where you
>can compound roots not necessarily conforming to
>CVF, and you have, say,
>
>        /kak/ + /tat/ = /kaxtat/
>
>(there's /x/ in the language independently from the
>one related to /k/). Now, what's the /x/ in /kaxtat/,
>an allophone of /k/ or merely an /x/ coming from /k/
>via a phonetic change rule?
>
        If /x/ already exist unrelated to /k/, I think we have here a phonetic
change rule due to composition (like "if, due to composition, a stop is
followed by another stop, the first one becomes a fricative of the same PoA
and voicing" for example). The only thing to know to check if it is a
phonetic change rule is to see if it happens regularly with any word (for
example /kat/ + /tat/ = /kaTtat/) or if exceptions are explainable with
another rule (for example /kat/ + /tat/ = /katat/ seems to be an exception,
but if you have the rule "when two identical stops are following each
other, they merge into one" - degemination - this rule will prevail before
the first one).

        Well, I hope it helps. I'm no linguist though.

>
>--Pablo Flores
>
>
                                                        Christophe Grandsire
                                                |Sela Jemufan Atlinan C.G.

"Reality is just another point of view."

homepage : http://www.bde.espci.fr/homepage/Christophe.Grandsire/index.html