Kalaw Lagaw Ya - Phonology

Phonology

Kala Lagaw Ya is the only Australian language to have the alveolar fricatives /s/ and /z/. However, these have allophonic variants /tʃ/ and /dʒ/, which are the norm in Australia languages (but non-contrasting). These latter two are allophones in that in all environments /s/ and /z/ can appear, while /tʃ/ and /dʒ/ can not appear at the end of a word. All the stops, except for the alveolars t and d, have fricative allophones, thus p can be or, k can be or, b or, and so on. Furthermore, it is one of the few Australian languages with fully functioning voiced-voiceless distinctions (p/b, t/d, s/z, k/g, th/dh) - and one of the few without retroflex stops.

The language is also one of the few Australian languages with only one rhotic, one l and one n. The earliest recorded dialect, Kawalgau Ya (Kauraraigau Ya / Kowrareg), however, did have two rhotics, the tap and the glide; the rhotic glide has in general become /j/, /w/ or zero in the other dialects (and Modern Kawalgau Ya), rarely /r/. Neighbouring languages retain an /r/ in related words, such as;

sayima outrigger : Old Kawalgaw Ya sarima, Kiwai (Papua) harima, Gudang (Australia) charima

babath opposite-sex sibling : Old Kawalgau Ya bœrabatha opposite-sex sibling, Meriam Mìr berbet sibling.

It is interesting to note, however, that in singing, s, z and r are pronounced, and (the glide), and virtually never as /tʃ/, /dʒ/ and /r/.

Notes:

a) The consonant d varies to some extent with r, particularly in KKY/KY kadai-/karai-, KLY/KulY kad/kad/kadai/karai upwards.

b) The typewritten forms of œ and œœ are oe and ooe.

c) The long vowel ùù is only found in Kala Lagaw Ya.

d) Length is to a certain extent contrastive, and partly allophonic.

e) The +/-round contrast is reminiscent of Papuan phonology.

The mid long vowels are allophonic variants of the mid short vowels that are in the process of developing phonemic status, while the short vowel ò is similarly in origin an allophone of òò.

Internal reconstruction and comparison with neighbouring languages suggests an underlying four vowel structure with contrasting vowel length, where underlying *i typically gives surface i and e, underlying *a typically gives surface a and œ, underlying *ò typically gives surface o and ù, and underlying *u typically gives surface ù and u (there are other realisations as well, depending on rules of assimilation etc.):

The language undergoes low-level vowel shifts, caused by stress domination within clauses. Long vowels are shortened, and short vowels raise when the word is preceded by morphemes such as adjectives, demonstrative articles, prefixes and the like; the changes also occur within words when these are suffixed:

laag place - senabi lag that place

lagal places - sethabi lœgal those places (also sethabi lagal)

mœrap bamboo - mœrœpil bamboo plants/poles/sticks (also mœrapil)

guul sailing canoe - senaubi gul that canoe

thonaral times - sethabi thunaral those times (also sethabi thonaral)

zageth work - zagithapa to/for work (also zagethapa) (zageth is a compound of za thing + geth hand)

The processes are low-level in that they are not 'automatic' - the changes do not have to occur and can be consciously 'blocked'. In normal speech, vowel shortening and the change of a to œ are the norm, which the changes of e to i and o to u are sporadic, and most common in unstressed syllables.

Assimilation of vowels to other vowels in the vicinity and consonants is also widespread, particularly of the vowel œ:

wœrab coconut - wurab - urab

yœlpai lead - yilpai - ilpai

ngœnu whose - ngunu

kœu belonging to here - kou

ngœba you and I - ngaba