In vowel harmony, all vowels in (roughly) a word agree with one another regarding one of their features. Vowels in such languages can harmonize with regard to backness, rounding, height, and tongue...Show moreIn vowel harmony, all vowels in (roughly) a word agree with one another regarding one of their features. Vowels in such languages can harmonize with regard to backness, rounding, height, and tongue root position. Vowels can be described in terms of phonological features. Some feature combinations are ‘preferable’ to others, as Archangeli and Pulleyblank (1994) argue in Grounding Theory. Based on these feature relationships, the low vowel /a/ in particular may show interesting behavior in vowel harmony. This thesis therefor examined the following research question: How can a feature-based interpretation account for the behavior of /a/ in vowel harmony languages? In order to research this, data from Tuvan (backness), Kirghiz (rounding), C’lela (height), and Maasai (tongue root position) have been used. Findings show that a feature-based interpretation can account for the behavior of /a/ in vowel harmony languages. /a/ alternates in some languages, and fails to harmonize in others. When /a/ participates in vowel harmony, it has to seek its counterpart slightly higher in the vowel triangle, as predicted by Grounding Theory. Feature relationships show that some combinations of features are preferable, and thus result in successful harmony, while others are avoided. These ‘poor’ combinations of features often result in failure to harmonize. All in all, a feature-based interpretation can account for the behavior of /a/ in vowel harmony languages. These findings suggest that the behavior of /a/ is predictable by a feature-based interpretation.Show less
This thesis will discuss how the final vowel of the subject concord has merged with the TAM paradigm in shiYeyi (R.40). In addition, shiYeyi expresses merely aspect and modality on the verb phrase,...Show moreThis thesis will discuss how the final vowel of the subject concord has merged with the TAM paradigm in shiYeyi (R.40). In addition, shiYeyi expresses merely aspect and modality on the verb phrase, where absolute tense is expressed lexically. In contrast to previous research, the final vowel of the subject concord is not determined by prefix-to-stem vowel harmony, nor does it express the notion of past versus non-past. The subject concord’s final vowel shows a discrete aspectual or modal function and occurs in discrete environments. At the same time, the final vowel of the verb phrase expresses modality, rather than a reduplication of the stem vowel to express absolute tense. For this analysis a previously published data set was used (Sommer, 1995).Show less
