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Article published In: Diachronica
Vol. 40:3 (2023) ► pp.341–383

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Lenition alternation in West Gyalrongic and its implications for Southeast Asian panchronic phonology

ORCiD logo with link | Trinity College Dublin
Published online: 24 March 2023
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https://doi.org/10.1075/dia.21016.lai
Abstract
Based on internal reconstruction, this paper resolves a long-standing problem observed in Khroskyabs, a West Gyalrongic language (Sino-Tibetan), that seems to sporadically have lenited voiceless stops, resulting in irregular correspondences with East Gyalrongic. Two major sound changes are involved: intervocalic lenition and post-stress intersyllabic compression. It turns out that the processes proposed here are one probable solution to monosyllabicization in languages of Southeast Asia, explaining a pathway from polysyllables or sesquisyllables toward monosyllables. Through examining potential problems of previous reconstructions in various languages, this paper shows that the Khroskyabs case provides a plausible direction in the solution of relevant unresolved problems from a panchronic perspective.
Résumé
Sur la base d’une reconstruction interne, cet article résout un problème de longue date observe en khroskyabs, une langue gyalronguique occidentale (sino-tibétaine), qui semble avoir sporadiquement des occlusives lénifiées, entraînant des correspondances irrégulières avec le gyalrongic oriental. Deux changements phonétiques majeurs sont impliqués, la lenition intervocalique et la compression intersyllabique post-tonique. Il s’avère que les processus proposés ici sont une solution probable à la monosyllabisation dans les langues d’Asie du Sud-Est, expliquant un chemin des polysyllabes ou sesquisyllabes vers les monosyllabes. En examinant les problèmes potentiels des reconstructions précédentes dans diverses langues, cet article montre que le cas du khroskyabs fournit une direction plausible dans la resolution de problèmes pertinents non-résolus d’un point de vue panchronique.
Zusammenfassung
Auf der Grundlage einer internen Rekonstruktion löst dieser Artikel ein seit langem bestehendes Problem im Khroskyabs, einer westgyalrongischen (sinotibetischen) Sprache, die stimmlose Plosive sporadisch lenisiert zu haben scheint, was zu unregelmäßigen Lautentsprechungen mit Ostgyalrongisch führt. Zwei große Lautwandel sind beteiligt, die intervokalische Lenisierung und die intersyllabische Kompression in Postakzentposition. Es stellt sich heraus, dass die hier vorgeschlagenen Prozesse eine wahrscheinliche Lösung für die Monosyllabisierung in südostasiatischen Sprachen darstellen, indem sie einen Weg von mehrsilbigen oder sesquisilbigen zu einsilbigen Wörtern beschreiben. Durch die Untersuchung möglicher Probleme früherer Rekonstruktionen in verschiedenen Sprachen zeigt dieser Beitrag, dass der Fall Khroskyabs einen plausiblen Hinweis zur Klärung relevanter ungelöster Probleme aus einer panchronischen Perspektive bietet.
Article outline
  • 1.The problem: An irregular lenition split in Khroskyabs?
    • Structure of the paper
  • 2.Theoretical background
    • 2.1West Gyalrongic languages
      • Phonological sketch of Siyuewu Khroskyabs
    • 2.2Typology of lenition
    • 2.3Monosyllabicization in Southeast Asian languages
  • 3.Reconstructing lenition in Khroskyabs
    • 3.1Overview of lenition alternation
    • 3.2Types of lenition alternation in Khroskyabs
    • 3.3Reconstruction of Type A
    • 3.4Reconstruction of Type B
    • 3.5Reconstruction of Type C
  • 4.Intersyllabic compression in post-stress position
    • 4.1Intersyllabic compression
    • 4.2Suprasegmental system in modern Khroskyabs
    • 4.3Intersyllabic compression in post-stress position
    • 4.4Transphonologization upon illegal clusters
      • *s-toˠ ‘show’
      • *s-tæˠk ‘be alone’
      • *s-pæ.C.tsæk ‘chop’
    • 4.5Interim summary
  • 5.Lenition in other West Gyalrongic languages
    • 5.1Lenition alternation in other West Gyalrongic languages
    • 5.2Presyllables as the source of lenition
    • 5.3Intersyllabic compression
      • The case of ‘ten’
      • The case of ‘window’
    • 5.4Summary for lenition alternation in Horpa-Stau and Tangut
  • 6.Lenition and compression in other Sino-Tibetan languages
    • 6.1East Gyalrongic
    • 6.2Burmese
    • 6.3Old Chinese and Proto-Min
    • 6.4The onset in Proto-Sino-Tibetan
  • 7.Contribution to panchronic phonology and historical linguistic methodology
    • 7.1Towards a panchronic account of compression
    • 7.2The usefulness of detailed analyses of alternating doublets
    • 7.3The necessity of explaining internal variations
  • Acknowledgements
  • Notes
  • Abbreviations
  • References
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