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Article published In: Variation in the Pacific: Part II
Edited by Eri Kashima and Miriam Meyerhoff
[Asia-Pacific Language Variation 7:1] 2021
► pp. 30–61

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Ende oration and final /n/-realisation

 | Boston University
Published online: 9 June 2021
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https://doi.org/10.1075/aplv.19013.lin
Abstract
This paper presents a sociophonetic analysis of word-final /n/-elision in Ende (Pahoturi River; Papuan). An analysis of 73 speakers reveals that tense, phonological context, and most significantly, whether or not the speaker is a kawa practitioner, a prestigious type of public oration, are significantly correlated with /n/-retention. A closer look at just five kawa practitioners reveals that age and genre may also play a role. The present study matches Schokkin’s analysis of /n/-elision in Idi (this issue). Indeed, the findings support her conclusions that this pattern is one of /n/-elision (not /n/-addition) and show similarities in conditioning factors. Analysing sociolinguistic variation in this region presents a unique set of benefits and challenges. This paper discusses how emically-derived categories relating to age, clan, and orator status may deviate from characterisations of prestige in Westernised and urbanised societies but better fit southern New Guinea’s social context.
Abstract (Indonesian)
Penelitian ini menunjukan penemuan analisis sosiofonetik dari kata-akhir /n/-peniadaan bunyi dalam ucapan di Bahasa Ende (Sungai Pahoturi; Papua). Analisis dari 73 pembicara mengungkapkan bahwa kata yang mewakili waktu, konteks fonologis, dan yang paling penting apakah sang pembicara adalah seorang pembicara kawakan, jenis orasi publik yang bergengsi, yang berkorelasi signifikan dengan penyimpanan-/n/. Penelitian kepada lima praktisi kawa membuktikan bahwa umur dan aliran juga mungkin bisa mempengaruhi ini. Penelitian ini dirancang untuk membandingkan kata-akhir /n/-peniadaan bunyi dalam ucapan yang terkait ldi dari analisis Schokkin (permasalahan ini). Memang, penemuan ini telah mendukung kesimpulan bahwa salah satu pola dari /n/-peniadaan bunyi dalam ucapan (sebagai lawan kepada /n/-tambahan) memperlihatkan banyak kesamaan dalam faktor pengkondisian. Menganalisis variasi sosiolinguistik yang baru di daerah ini mempersembahkan beberapa manfaat dan tantangan. Penelitian ini membahas bagaimana kategori yang terkait dengan umur, suku, dan status orator yang diturunkan secara teknis bisa menyimpang dari karakterisasi prestise di masyarakat yang kebaratan-baratan dan urban tetapi lebih cocok ke konteks sosial New Guinea.
Article outline
  • 1.Introduction
    • 1.1The Ende language community
    • 1.2Variable /n/-realisation
    • 1.3Kawa oration
  • 2.Data collection and token selection
    • 2.1Token selection
  • 3.Results
    • 3.1Coding and factor selection
    • 3.2Linguistic factors
    • 3.3Social factors
    • 3.4Statistical modelling and results
  • 4.Discussion
  • 5.Conclusion
  • Acknowledgements
  • Notes
  • Glossing abbreviations used within this article are the following
  • References
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Cited by four other publications

Mansfield, John
2025. Linguistic Diversification and Rates of Change: Insights From a Diverse Sample of Sociolinguistic Studies. Language and Linguistics Compass 19:6 DOI logo
Lindsey, Kate L., Dineke Schokkin & Nairan Wu
2023. The Pahoturi River language family, with special reference to its verbal puzzles. Linguistic Typology 27:3 ► pp. 667 ff. DOI logo
Satyanath, Shobha
2022. Standard-ness, national ideologies and their embedding in ‘sociolinguistic theory’. Asia-Pacific Language Variation 8:2 ► pp. 174 ff. DOI logo
Strong, Katherine, Kate L. Lindsey & Katie Drager
2022. Kawa and the variable stopping of obstruents in Ende. Asia-Pacific Language Variation 8:2 ► pp. 150 ff. DOI logo

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