A study of Taiwanese suffix -a53: An integrated autosegmental analysis

• Main Author: Lin, Ping-yu
• Format: text
• Language: English
• Published: Animo Repository 2006
• Subjects: Autosegmental theory (Linguistics); Grammar, Comparative and general—Phonology; Chinese language > Suffixes and prefixes.; Linguistics
• Online Access: https://animorepository.dlsu.edu.ph/etd_doctoral/152; https://animorepository.dlsu.edu.ph/context/etd_doctoral/article/1151/viewcontent/CDTG004238_P.pdf
• Institution: De La Salle University

This study explores phonological processes triggered by the suffix -a53 when it is attached to a monosyllabic stem (e.g., /ap-a/ ˜box, /kim-a/ gold, /i-a/ chair, /tshiu-a/ ˜tree, /e-a/ shoe, /-a/ taro, /a-a/ duckling, etc.). Specifically, three areas were investigated: tonal behavior, segmental behavior, and nasality behavior. Based on Goldsmithâ (1976) autosegmental theory, this paper proposes an integrated autosegmental framework (which emphasizes the role of a juncture position) to systematically describe the three phonological behaviors. Thirteen (13) native elder speakers of Taiwanese were recruited (through snowball sampling) to identify objects presented in 15 photographs. Their voices were recorded and subjected to spectrographic analysis. Results indicate that a short but sonorant transition sound (or tone) occurred in the morpheme boundaries of -a53 attached words. That is, in the tonal behavior, a transition tone was produced to occupy the juncture position of the morpheme boundary in the segmental behavior, a transition sound was produced to occupy the juncture position and in the nasality behavior, the nasality feature spread to nasalize the suffix -a. As a result, suffixation words can be pronounced in a continuous manner without a juncture between the two morphemes.