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Re: Length

From:Kristian Jensen <kljensen@...>
Date:Sunday, June 20, 1999, 18:02
Nik Taylor wrote:
> >Fakaltin=E1su: >> So, any thoughts? > >Forget it, I just made up my mind, I'll go with doubling. > >Still, any comments on this change?
Well, even though you already made up your mind, I still=20 wanna share something from Boreanesian which your options=20 #2 and #3 reminded me of. (These options opted to represent=20 length through a syllable final <h> or <k>). In Boreanesian, all major syllables (with primary stress)=20 are either long vowels or rising diphthongs. But I have=20 analysed the long vowels as being derived from diphthongs,=20 and could therefore be represented by a syllable final=20 consonant. Let me explain: There are three approximants in Boreanesian: /j/ palatal,=20 /w/ labial, and /3/ velar. Combined with the four vowels=20 of Boreanesian, we get the following grid of diphthongs=20 and long vowels: /aj/ /aw/ /a3/ /@j/ /@w/ /@3/ /ij/ /iw/ /i3/ /uj/ /uw/ /u3/ The palatal approximant /j/ is essentially a nonsyllabic=20 version of /i/ and together creates a long vowel: /ij/ ->=20 [i:]. Similarly, the labial approximant /w/ is essentially=20 a nonsyllabic version of /u/ which together creates a long=20 vowel: /uw/ -> [u:]. The velar approximant is a nonsyllabic=20 version of centrality and together with the central vowels=20 /a/ and /@/ creates long vowels: [a:] [@:]. Other combinations are simply diphthongs. So vowel length can be represented, depending on the vowel,=20 by different approximants. I'm not sure of the Romanized=20 orthography, but this is basically how I'm representing=20 Boreanesian in the tentatively practical IPA orthography. -kristian- 8)