Re: Takiyyudin phonology

Tristan wrote:
<<
(*My* question is, are their any languages with vowel height harmony?)
 >>

Yes, there is!  (Or, to be more precise...maybe there is.)

Well, actually not even maybe.  There's a documented example
from Yaka and Shona, both Bantu languages:

Shona:
pind-irir-a "to pass right through"
pot-erer-a "go right round"

Yaka:
kik-idi "barrer"  (this appears to be French)
keb-ele "faire attention"

(Appears there's also a /l/~/d/ thing going on there...)

As for a rather robust harmony system that I've dealt with, there's
Moro.  It *may* be ATR, but may also be height.  Moro has six
vowels that correspond with one another with respect to backness:

High Vowels: i @ u
Non-High Vowels: e a o

So /i/ is the high version of /e/; /@/ of /a/; and /u/ of /o/.

In fact, there are even diphthongs that correspond: /i@/ and /ea/;
and /u@/ and /oa/.

You can see the harmony in action with the inessive prefix:

Damala = camel
eDamala = in the camel

l@dZi = people
il@dZi = in the people

arabija = car
ekarabija = in the car

udZi = person
ikudZi = in the person

So height harmony does appear to exist.  Not as robust as
rounding and back harmony, though, it would seem.

-David
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