Re: vowel harmony

Andreas Johansson sikyal:

> Quoting BP Jonsson <bpj@...>:
>
> > This assymetrical system was made symmetrical by merging /i y/, /e 1/
> > and
> > /o Q/, giving the symmetrical:
> >
> > i    1    u
> > &    a    Q
>
> Isn't there supposed to be a universal saying that the number of back-front
> distinctions is never greater than the number of height ones? If so, do you
> have any justification for breaking it, or do you just live by my maxim that
> rules wouldn't be any fun without exceptions?
Under most analyses (perhaps all, actually), central vowels are not  a
separate backness from back vowels. In terms of features, I would describe
this system thus:

-back  |  +back, -round  | +back, +round
------------------------------------------
 i     |       1         |      u
 &     |       a         |      Q


But maybe this universal is referring to something else, i.e. "apparent"
frontness distinctions, rather than feature-based frontness distinctions?



Jesse S. Bangs jaspax@u.washington.edu
http://students.washington.edu/jaspax/
http://students.washington.edu/jaspax/blog

Jesus asked them, "Who do you say that I am?"

And they answered, "You are the eschatological manifestation of the ground
of our being, the kerygma in which we find the ultimate meaning of our
interpersonal relationship."

And Jesus said, "What?"

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