Diachronic labial palatalization in Xinguan Arawak

The goal of this short paper is to address additional facts related to the process of full labial palatalization (or coronalization) proposed in Carvalho (2016a) for Yawalapiti, an Arawak language of central Brazil. After discussing the broader theoretical significance of the full palatalization of...

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Main Author: Fernando Carvalho
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Universidade Estadual de Campinas 2016-12-01
Series:Liames
Subjects:
Online Access:https://periodicos.sbu.unicamp.br/ojs/index.php/liames/article/view/8646432
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author Fernando Carvalho
author_facet Fernando Carvalho
author_sort Fernando Carvalho
collection DOAJ
description The goal of this short paper is to address additional facts related to the process of full labial palatalization (or coronalization) proposed in Carvalho (2016a) for Yawalapiti, an Arawak language of central Brazil. After discussing the broader theoretical significance of the full palatalization of labials to typology and to the theory of sound change, I will show that the identification of the correspondences supporting the recognition of this development in Yawalapiti can be traced back to Karl von den Steinen's 1894 publication of the earliest available documentation of the Xinguan Arawak languages. Next, I argue that a pattern of allomorphy in the 2sg prefix of Yawalapiti can be understood as a relic of the series of sound changes that mapped a labial stop *p to a coronal consonant in palatalization-prone environments. Finally, I note that this labial coronalization change has the status of a drift-like tendency within the Xinguan Arawak subgroup, a fact underscored by its independent occurrence in Waurá. Furthermore, a relatively late date can be assigned to this development on the basis of a comparison of recent data on this language with the vocabularies found in the Von den Steinen material.
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spelling doaj.art-fb7e27e52a8d4c9fa541d57de8f73c452022-12-21T22:51:22ZengUniversidade Estadual de CampinasLiames1678-05312177-71602016-12-0116210.20396/liames.v16i2.864643213347Diachronic labial palatalization in Xinguan ArawakFernando Carvalho0Universidade Federal do Amapá (Unifap)The goal of this short paper is to address additional facts related to the process of full labial palatalization (or coronalization) proposed in Carvalho (2016a) for Yawalapiti, an Arawak language of central Brazil. After discussing the broader theoretical significance of the full palatalization of labials to typology and to the theory of sound change, I will show that the identification of the correspondences supporting the recognition of this development in Yawalapiti can be traced back to Karl von den Steinen's 1894 publication of the earliest available documentation of the Xinguan Arawak languages. Next, I argue that a pattern of allomorphy in the 2sg prefix of Yawalapiti can be understood as a relic of the series of sound changes that mapped a labial stop *p to a coronal consonant in palatalization-prone environments. Finally, I note that this labial coronalization change has the status of a drift-like tendency within the Xinguan Arawak subgroup, a fact underscored by its independent occurrence in Waurá. Furthermore, a relatively late date can be assigned to this development on the basis of a comparison of recent data on this language with the vocabularies found in the Von den Steinen material.https://periodicos.sbu.unicamp.br/ojs/index.php/liames/article/view/8646432Yawalapiti. Arawak. Palatalization. Sound change
spellingShingle Fernando Carvalho
Diachronic labial palatalization in Xinguan Arawak
Liames
Yawalapiti. Arawak. Palatalization. Sound change
title Diachronic labial palatalization in Xinguan Arawak
title_full Diachronic labial palatalization in Xinguan Arawak
title_fullStr Diachronic labial palatalization in Xinguan Arawak
title_full_unstemmed Diachronic labial palatalization in Xinguan Arawak
title_short Diachronic labial palatalization in Xinguan Arawak
title_sort diachronic labial palatalization in xinguan arawak
topic Yawalapiti. Arawak. Palatalization. Sound change
url https://periodicos.sbu.unicamp.br/ojs/index.php/liames/article/view/8646432
work_keys_str_mv AT fernandocarvalho diachroniclabialpalatalizationinxinguanarawak