Abstract
Northern East Cree has several /+h/ morphemes, which, when suffixed onto a word, add meanings such as inanimate plurality or animate obviation. Literature on these morphemes has yet to describe the impressionistic accent shift that accompanies /+h/ suffixation onto a word. In this article findings are presented from an exploratory descriptive study in which citation forms with and without the /+h/ morphemes are compared, examining how accent shift is acoustically realized, as well as the relevance of pitch slope and modal voicing. The results do not align with previous analyses of the /+h/ morphemes’ properties. Rather, it is possible that words without /+h/ have a falling tone pattern, whereas words with /+h/ have a level tone pattern, suggesting that pitch slope, in combination with modal voice, may be the best diagnostic of the presence of /+h/ morphemes.
Highlights
Northern East Cree (NE Cree) has several /+h/ morphemes, which, when suffixed onto a word add meanings such as inanimate plurality or animate obviation
Findings are presented from an exploratory descriptive study in which citation forms with and without the /+h/ morphemes are compared, describing how the impressionistic accent shift from a non-final syllable to the final syllable may be acoustically realized on measures of pitch on the ultimate, penultimate, and antepenultimate syllables
The aim of the current study is to provide an exploratory description of accent shift associated with the /+h/ morpheme in NE Cree and associated word-final phenomena
Summary
Northern East Cree (NE Cree) has several /+h/ morphemes, which, when suffixed onto a word add meanings such as inanimate plurality or animate obviation. Literature on these /+h/ morphemes captures their historical origins and the grammatical contexts in which they appear. Findings are presented from an exploratory descriptive study in which citation forms with and without the /+h/ morphemes are compared, describing how the impressionistic accent shift from a non-final syllable to the final syllable may be acoustically realized on measures of pitch on the ultimate, penultimate, and antepenultimate syllables. Descriptive observations on how voicing and pitch slope may be used by NE Cree speakers in relation to the /+h/ morpheme are provided. Future research comprising a stronger research methodology is required to refute or support these findings
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