Morphophonemics of Island Carib (Central American Dialect)

Abstract

1. Processes incidental to prefixing 1.1. The thematic prefix 1.2. Possessed nouns and denominal adjectives 1.3. The attributive prefix, g(a)h(a)2. Processes incidental to suffixing 2.1. V1-V1 > V1 2.2. The participial morpheme, and other instances of vocalic harmony and of vowel-loss 2.3. Nouns and nominal bases 2.4. Vowel sequences avoided across morpheme boundaries 2.5. The suffix -(u)ga 2.6. The locational suffixes -ha, -g(u)ia, -gVta, -gVra 2.7. Syllabic reduction 3. Processes incidental to compounding 4. Processes affecting nasals and nasalization 4.1. Nasalized vowels and nasal consonants 4.2. Nasalization and stress 4.3. Loss of nasalization 5. Basic, prefixial, and suffixial forms of the person-markers 1.1. The prefix ieais associated with thematic verb-stems and verbs derived from adjectives and-more rarely-from nouns. The first alternant iis employed in some but by no means all cases where the first root-vowel is /i/; thus imira (:t -ha) to stab, to spear, from the predicative adjective mira stabbing, stabbed; but adina (d= -gua) to embark, from the predicative adjective din& embarking, embarked. On the other hand, emay be-and usually is-employed whenever the first root-vowel is /e/, although it remains, unlike i-, in free (or idiolectic) alternation with a-; thus (with alternative forms in a-) 6sera to pour out, from se pouring out, poured out; eb6lura to enter, from beld entering, entered; eb6gira to beg (pardon or a favor), from the loanword b6gi begging, begged (Eng. beg); egelhca to lock, from the loanword gelE key (Fr. cl6); elesku6leha to school, from the loanword lesku6la school (Sp. escuela). In all other cases, ais the only permissible form of this morpheme; thus asora to roast and asoha to sting, from so ardent; Ahuia to rain, to pour down, from hdia rain. The phonemic shape of the thematic prefix in included position remains unaffected by whatever prefix marker of person, of privation, or of attribution may precede it. 1.2. Most nouns and some adjectives have relative bases from which possessed nouns or privative or attributive adjectives (these last not occurring with an adjectival stem) may be formed by the addition of a prefix person-marker, of privative m(a)-, or of attributive g(a)h(a)(see 1.3 below). The formation of such bases with respect to their absolutive forms varies considerably, and is best described under the morphology of the noun. In general, however, it may be stated that parenthetic (a)of the privative, attributive, and pronominal prefixes of first and third persons plural is actualized when these forms are combined with a base having as initial either a parenthetic vowel (which is then lost), a stable (non-parenthetic) -u-, or a rising diphthong. The various combinations follow, P representing any prefix marker of person, privation, or attribution; V any base-initial vowel other than stable (non-parenthetic) -u-, and VV any sequence of base-initial vowels constituting a rising diphthong: P+ -(V) > PV as in 1+ -(i) la contents > lila his/its contents; P(a)+ -(V) > Pa as in m(a)+ -(i)la contents > mala empty; P+ -u > Pu as in h+ -q -i-ni to, for > hq to or for you; P(a)+ -u > Pau as in g(a)+ -q -ini to, for > gauni having purpose/aim; P+ -VV > PVV as in b+ -iabi coming > biAbi thy coming; P(a)-