Abstract
In this paper, a prosodic account of word-final vowel lengthening in the Rigveda is given. It is argued that word-final lengthening, lengthening in compounds, and lengthening before pada-suffixes are instantiations of one and the same phonological process. This process targets the right edge of prosodic words if this edge does not align with the edge of a higher prosodic constituent. A functional account and an explicit analysis in an Optimality Theory framework are given and the proposal is strengthened by adducing typological parallels. The rhythmic patterns emerging from lengthening are shown to be epiphenomena. In the last section, the proposal is extended to lengthening in reduplicants and tentatively to word final lengthening in n-stem vocatives.
Acknowledgement
This paper grew out of a talk given at the workshop “What is a Word” at the University of Zurich in December 2017. I want to thank the audience, especially Dieter Gunkel and Kevin Ryan, for the stimulating discussion. I also thank Tim Felix Aufderheide and the anonymous reviewers for valuable comments on a previous version of this paper. As always, I alone am responsible for any remaining errors.
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Articles in the same Issue
- Frontmatter
- Articles
- The lexical and discourse functions of grammatical gender in Marathi
- Agreement in Kuki-Chin languages of Barak valley
- Word-final lengthening in Early Vedic
- Book Reviews
- Nalini Balbir: Le Sanskrit (Sans peine)
- Andrijanić Ivan Sven Sellmer: On the growth and composition of the Sanskrit Epics and Purāṇas: Relationship to Kāvya. Social and economic context: Proceedings of the Fifth Dubrovnik International Conference on the Sanskrit Epics and Purāṇas, August 2008
- M. Sridhar Sunita Mishra: Language Policy and Education in India: Documents, contexts and debates
- Michiel de Vaan Javier Martínez García: Introduction to Avestan (Brillʼs Introductions to Indo-European 1)
Articles in the same Issue
- Frontmatter
- Articles
- The lexical and discourse functions of grammatical gender in Marathi
- Agreement in Kuki-Chin languages of Barak valley
- Word-final lengthening in Early Vedic
- Book Reviews
- Nalini Balbir: Le Sanskrit (Sans peine)
- Andrijanić Ivan Sven Sellmer: On the growth and composition of the Sanskrit Epics and Purāṇas: Relationship to Kāvya. Social and economic context: Proceedings of the Fifth Dubrovnik International Conference on the Sanskrit Epics and Purāṇas, August 2008
- M. Sridhar Sunita Mishra: Language Policy and Education in India: Documents, contexts and debates
- Michiel de Vaan Javier Martínez García: Introduction to Avestan (Brillʼs Introductions to Indo-European 1)