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edits
Prefix Reform: Difference between revisions
add 5th tone analysis; mention lynn’s “halfway” proposal
(use a more probably example for t3) |
(add 5th tone analysis; mention lynn’s “halfway” proposal) |
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{| class="wikitable" | {| class="wikitable" | ||
!Official | !Official | ||
!Proposal | !Proposal | ||
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The value of this proposal, apart from more flexibility and less ambiguity, is that stems no longer alternate between stressed and unstressed depending on whether they have prefixes attached to them (think {{t|<u>juı</u>taq}} vs. {{t|bụ<u>juı</u>}}). As another pleasant side effect, poly[[raku]]<nowiki />ic words in {{done|3}} are now possible (like {{t|äımu}}, which before was ambiguous with the mid-falling allotonal forms of {{t|ạımu}} and {{t|ạ́ımu}}). | The value of this proposal, apart from more flexibility and less ambiguity, is that stems no longer alternate between stressed and unstressed depending on whether they have prefixes attached to them (think {{t|<u>juı</u>taq}} vs. {{t|bụ<u>juı</u>}}). As another pleasant side effect, poly[[raku]]<nowiki />ic words in {{done|3}} are now possible (like {{t|äımu}}, which before was ambiguous with the mid-falling allotonal forms of {{t|ạımu}} and {{t|ạ́ımu}}). | ||
==Thinking clitically – a fifth tone== | |||
Let us think about clitics – little segments of words that attach to other words rather than forming full units. For instance, in English, the possessive marker <i>’s</i> can attach to words like <i>California’s reputation</i> or entire phrases like <i>my most beloved partner’s necklace</i> or <i>that one guy we saw in the street’s student card</i>. But then there’s nothing stopping us from spelling it as a separate word: <i>California ’s reputation</i>, for instance. | |||
Similarly in Toaq, but let’s for a moment assume that the clitical “prefix toneme” is spelled like {{tone|1}} (as a macron). Its pronunciation is outlined above, but we could summarize it as a mid-flat tone that also nullifies vowel length: {{t|jıa}} /dʑiːa˥˩/ but {{t|jīa}} /dʑia˧/. Putting this together into a new table: | |||
{| class="wikitable" | |||
!Official | |||
!“Halfway”<ref group=note>[[Lynn]]’s idea: https://discord.com/channels/311223912044167168/334810940392341514/1174698020579856434</ref> | |||
!Main proposal | |||
!This idea | |||
|- | |||
|{{t|puchụmtao}} | |||
|{{t|puchụmtao}} | |||
|{{t|puchumtào}} | |||
!{{t|pū chūm tao}} | |||
|- | |||
|{{t|jı̣achia}} | |||
|{{t|jı̣achıa}} | |||
|{{t|jıachìa}} | |||
!{{t|jīa chıa}} | |||
|- | |||
|{{t|lạ́maı bẹ́ıroı}} | |||
|{{t|lạmáı bẹıróı}} | |||
|{{t|lamáı beıróı}} | |||
!{{t|lā máı bēı róı}} | |||
|- | |||
| style="background:#ccc" |N/A | |||
|{{t|tọꝡä}} | |||
|{{t|toꝡä}} | |||
!{{t|tō ꝡä}} | |||
|- | |||
|{{t|jụ̂aqjuaı}} | |||
|{{t|jụaqjûaı}} | |||
|{{t|juaqjûaı}} | |||
!{{t|jūaq jûaı}} | |||
|} | |||
<small><references group=note /></small> | |||
With this in mind, we may look at the neat symmetry in which [[focus marker]]s behave when alternated between their inherent {{done|2}} and this new {{tone|1}}: | |||
{| | |||
| {{t|luı}} || {{t|do}} || {{t|jí}} || {{t|súq}} || {{green|{{t|kú}}}} || {{green|{{t|tú}}}} || {{green|{{t|maoja}}}} | |||
|- | |||
| colspan=7 | ‘I have given you {{green|''all the apples''}}.’ | |||
|- | |||
| {{t|luı}} || {{t|do}} || {{t|jí}} || {{t|súq}} || {{orange|{{t|kū}}}} || {{orange|{{t|tú}}}} || {{t|maoja}} | |||
|- | |||
| colspan=7 | ‘I have given you {{orange|''all''}} the apples.’ | |||
|} | |||
==See also== | ==See also== | ||
* [https://discord.com/channels/311223912044167168/889589074011230230/1113157808934883469 uakci’s original message] | * [https://discord.com/channels/311223912044167168/889589074011230230/1113157808934883469 uakci’s original message] | ||