Sapir’s Law and the Role Of Accent in the Reconstruction of Proto-Corachol-Nahuan
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Sapir’s Law and the Role Of Accent in the Reconstruction of Proto-Corachol-Nahuan. / Pharao Hansen, Magnus.
In: International Journal of American Linguistics, Vol. 90, No. 2, 2024, p. 227-267.Research output: Contribution to journal › Journal article › Research › peer-review
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TY - JOUR
T1 - Sapir’s Law and the Role Of Accent in the Reconstruction of Proto-Corachol-Nahuan
AU - Pharao Hansen, Magnus
PY - 2024
Y1 - 2024
N2 - This article argues that the patterns governing the retention and elision of Proto-Uto-Aztecan (PUA) *p in the language groups Nahuan and Corachol can be explained by reference to accent patterns in the most recent shared ancestor Proto-Corachol-Nahua (PCN). The PCN accent can be reconstructed by application of Sapir’s law of accent in Nahuan, which posits that accent in pre-Nahuan can be predicted from the patterns of syncope. Comparison shows that the pre-Nahuan accent coincides with lexical accent in Corachol. It is argued that in both language groups *p is retained in accented syllables and weakened to *h (and then elided) in unaccented syllables. Accent appears to interact with the Uto-Aztecan system of consonant gradation. The reconstruction of accent and its effects in Corachol and Nahuan and other SUA languages may permit a better understanding of the relations between the languages and of phenomena that may otherwise appear to be irregular.
AB - This article argues that the patterns governing the retention and elision of Proto-Uto-Aztecan (PUA) *p in the language groups Nahuan and Corachol can be explained by reference to accent patterns in the most recent shared ancestor Proto-Corachol-Nahua (PCN). The PCN accent can be reconstructed by application of Sapir’s law of accent in Nahuan, which posits that accent in pre-Nahuan can be predicted from the patterns of syncope. Comparison shows that the pre-Nahuan accent coincides with lexical accent in Corachol. It is argued that in both language groups *p is retained in accented syllables and weakened to *h (and then elided) in unaccented syllables. Accent appears to interact with the Uto-Aztecan system of consonant gradation. The reconstruction of accent and its effects in Corachol and Nahuan and other SUA languages may permit a better understanding of the relations between the languages and of phenomena that may otherwise appear to be irregular.
U2 - 10.31219/osf.io/zrh2m
DO - 10.31219/osf.io/zrh2m
M3 - Journal article
VL - 90
SP - 227
EP - 267
JO - International Journal of American Linguistics
JF - International Journal of American Linguistics
SN - 0020-7071
IS - 2
ER -
ID: 357282835