Re: THEORY: vowel harmony [was CHAT: Another NatLang i like]

Raymond Brown wrote:
-----<snip>-----
>Maybe all I should've written was: "How is that different from nasal =
spread?"=20

That's essentially what I meant to say as well. :-)

>>
>>_Desano_
>>     suprasegmental tier   [+nasal]
>>                            /|  \
>>     segmental tier         johso -> [Jo~hso~] 'kind of bird'
>>
>>_Mongolian_
>>     suprasegmental tier   [-back]
>>                             / | \
>>     segmental tier         kobagun -> [k=F8begyn] 'boy, son'
>>
>>(Mongolian example courtesy of "An Introduction to Phonology" by
>>Francis Katamba)
>>
>>So from a multi-tier perspective, IMHO, there isn't much difference
>>between the front/back vowel harmony (or spreading) from nasal
>>harmony (or spreading).
>
>Maybe not much - but in the first example the initial _consonant_ is
>changed to harmonize.  I see no evidence in the example above of a =
fronting
>or palatalization of any of the Mongolian consonants, tho certainly all =
the
>consonants are capable of being so modified.
I think this also depends on how narrowly one wants to transcribe=20
languages. In English for instance, words like "keel" and "cool" are=20
normally phonemically transcribed in the IPA as /kil/ and /kul/,=20
while phonetically transcribed as [k_hip] and [k_hul] (where [_h] is=20
aspiration). But I have seen phonetic transcriptions that are much=20
narrower than this: [k_h<+>i:l<vel>] and [k_w_hu:l<vel>] (where [<+>]=20
means fronting, [_w] means rounding, and [<vel>] means velarization).=20
So here in these words, the [k] in "keep" is fronted [k<+>]in=20
anticipation of the front vowel [i], while the [k] in "cool" is=20
rounded [k_w] in anticipation of the rounded vowel [u]. (Of course,=20
dialects may differ).=20

Based on this, one could assume that a very narrow transcription of=20
the Mongolian word cited "k=F8begyn" as [k<+>_w=F8b<+>eg<+>_wyn] where=20
all the consonants are fronted in anticipation of front consonants=20
and some rounded in anticipation of rounded vowels. Front/back=20
'spread' or 'harmony'? Its difficult for me to picture that fronting=20
in vowel harmony does _not_ also 'spread' to consonants. Afterall,=20
all vowels are fronted so I suspect that all consonants would also be=20
fronted to a certain degree in anticipation of all the front vowels.

Again, how is that different from nasal spread?

Still desperate to learn. ;-)
-kristian- 8)