At the intersection of synchrony and diachrony: A phonotactic analysis of the lexicon of Wan

Tatiana Nikitina (1)

1 LACITO - Langues et civilisations à tradition orale

This study explores the phonotactics of Wan (Mande, Côte d'Ivoire) using an extended version of the lexical statistical method introduced in Pozdniakov & Segerer (2007). A lexical dataset was prepared for analysis based on nouns and verbs extracted from a dictionary. Disyllabic nouns and verbs were analyzed for correlations between the initial and the intervocalic consonant and for correlations between the two vowels. The analysis has confirmed the Similar Place Avoidance generalization proposed as a universal by Pozdniakov & Segerer. It has also revealed significant correlations between the two vowels on two parameters: in height, and in backness. Initial syllables of all nouns and verbs were analyzed for correlations between consonants and vowels and correlations between consonants and tone. The consonant's place of articulation has been revealed to correlate with the vowel's backness, and the consonant's voicing has been revealed to correlate with the vowel's tone. The results suggest that Pozdniakov & Segerer's method can be useful not only when applied to a typological sample but also in the study of phonotatics of individual languages. The specific findings can potentially shed light on the history of Wan and related languages.

Mots clés: phonotactics; Mande; Wan; Similar Place Avoidance; vowel harmony

Domaines: Linguistique

Tatiana Nikitina. At the intersection of synchrony and diachrony: A phonotactic analysis of the lexicon of Wan. Language in Africa, 2022, 3 (2), pp.196 - 211. ⟨10.37892/2686-8946-2022-3-2-196-211⟩. ⟨hal-03790452⟩