Re: THEORY: final features, moras, and roots [was: it's what I do]

On Thu, 5 Oct 2000, DOUGLAS KOLLER wrote:

> Well I'm still confused. The "mora" thing has always stumped me, but isn't
> "hatten" two syllables, four morae?
Yup. Here's the representation for the entire word:

          s   s
          |\  |\
          m m m m
         /| |/| |
        h a t e n

Notice that the [t] is doubly linked; it is moraic in the first
syllable and provides the onset for the second syllable. This is
another definition of geminate: a consonant which is linked to two
syllables at once. However, this definition of geminate relies on a
representation which is the product of theoretical assumptions not all
are willing to make. (Some have even argued that ambisyllabic
consonants are really geminates in disguise since they also share the
property of belonging to two syllables at once; interesting that in
English many of these are written with two consonant letters, as in
the word 'happy'.)

> Sambon ("three bottles") two syllables, four morae? (sa-n-bo-n,
> pronounced sam-bon).
Right again. Here's the chart:

          s     s
          |\    |\
          m m   m m
         /| |  /| |
        s a m b o n

There's something interesting to be said about the sharing of place of
articulation across the nasal-stop cluster, as well as the voicing of
stops following nasals, but I'll leave that for another time. Suffice
it to say that Shoshoni also shares these properties with Japanese
(though not the moraicity of the coda consonants) and that they are
dealt with in my dissertation (chapter 2).

> Shinhatsubai ("newly out on the market") four syllables, six morae?
Outstanding! Here it is:

           s     s    s   s
           |\    |    |   |\
           m m   m    m   m m
          /| |  /|   /|  /| |
        sh i n h a ts u b a i

To sum up: moras are used to reckon syllable weight; that's their
raison d'etre, theoretically speaking. That Japanese also has a
writing system which corresponds so well to the mora count is a happy
coincidence--most languages with weight distinctions aren't as good at
showing it in the orthography.

Dirk

--
Dirk Elzinga
dirk.elzinga@m.cc.utah.edu