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Vowel harmony in Rma: a diachronic perspective

  • Nathaniel A. Sims ORCID logo EMAIL logo
Published/Copyright: July 18, 2023
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Abstract

This paper looks at the vowel harmony system of Ronghong Rma (Qiang). This system has previously been described in terms of synchronic vowel alternations. This paper takes a different approach to explore the diachronic element of vowel harmony. The finding is that ‘harmonization’ is epiphenomenal and that the vowel alternations are the results of regular sound changes from an earlier stage in the language. This diachronic perspective brings into focus a chain shift in the vowel system and clarifies the etymologies of forms that have undergone these changes. It also reveals the importance of uvular consonants as conditioning environments for vowel changes in Ronghong Rma.


Corresponding author: Nathaniel A. Sims, Institut National des Langues et Civilisations Orientales, Paris, France, E-mail:

List of abbreviations

1

first person

2

second person

3

third person

adv

adverbial marker

agt

agentive marker

asp

aspect marker

atr

advanced tongue root

caus

causative marker

cl

classifier

cop

copula

csm

change of state marker

dat

dative marker

def

definite marker

det

determiner

dir

directional prefix

dtv

directive particle

gp

generic person

hs

hearsay marker

indf

indefinite marker

inf

inferential evidence

ins

instrumental marker

ipfv

imperfective aspect

lnk

clause linker

loc

locative marker

med

mediative evidential

n.

noun

nar

narrative (hearsay) form made up of the inferential and hearsay particles

neg

negative prefix

nmlz

nominalizer

nom

nominalizer

part

clause/sentence final particle

pl

plural

pn

personal or place name

poss

possessive marker

seq

sequentializer

sg

singular

tr

transitive

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Received: 2022-08-05
Accepted: 2022-11-16
Published Online: 2023-07-18
Published in Print: 2023-11-27

© 2023 Walter de Gruyter GmbH, Berlin/Boston

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