Re: Rotokas (was: California Cheeseburger)

It was written:
> On Monday, June 21, 2004, at 10:33 , Thomas R. Wier wrote:
> From:    "Mark P. Line" <mark@...>
> [snip]
> >> It's one thing to be disbelieved when there's no source in play. What
> >> astounds me is that I am so often disbelieved (usually by the same
> >> handful
> >> of people) even when there *is* a source and all I'm doing is repeating
> >> what it says.
Reluctant as I am to join in this fray, I do recall that until the thread
had developed quite a bit, no mention was made at the outset (1) where
Rotokas was spoken nor (2) the sources.  Eventually the Firchows name(s)
were mentioned.  I looked on Ethnologue (how many others thought to do so?),
and noted that all their research, save for an initial, early article in
"Anthropological Linguistics", has been published by SIL in Ukarumpa.

I'm sorry, that might as well be The Moon. I know, from difficult
experience, that such SIL materials are almost impossible to lay hands on.
They are not on-line, to my knowledge.  I suppose if one is a member, or
located at Norman OK, or U.Hawaii, they are available.  Otherwise, to all
intents, good luck trying to find them.  Even the Univ. of Michigan's
library, Ken Pike's home base for years, has little more than a random
selection. AnLing OTOH is more available.

I'm sorry Mark took offense, but the questions were legitimate, if perhaps
too persistent.
--If Rotokas is the native name, why does it violate its own phonotactics?
--If it's somebody else's name for them, whose, then?
--If there is said to be no "w" phoneme in the language, what is its status
in borrowed 'wiliwili'; what is the contrast with /v/? Or is it felt by
speakers to be as foreign as correctly pronounced Fr. [y]or Germ. [x~C] are
in English?  If Rotokas has borrowed enough from Tok Pisin, perhaps it is in
process of acquiring additional phonemic contrasts.  After all, English IIRC
had no contrastive /v/, /z/ and others until contact with Norman French.

But isn't it time to end this thread?  .....Hitler.... (nothing personal,
just a code-word)

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