Origins of vowel pharyngealization in Hongyan Qiang

• Main Author: Evans, Jonathan
• Other Authors: Institute of Linguistics, Academia Sinica
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: 2024
• Subjects: Arts and Humanities; Qiang; Pharyngealization
• Online Access: https://hdl.handle.net/10356/177935
• Institution: Nanyang Technological University

Hongyan, a variety of Northern Qiang (Tibeto-Burman, China) has four plain vowel monophthongs /i, u, ə, a/. Vowels may be lengthened, rhotacized, or pharyngealized, resulting in fourteen short and ten long vowel phonemes. No other varieties of Qiang have been described with pharyngealization, although the other suprasegmental effects are common throughout Northern Qiang. This paper explores how the distinctions which in Hongyan are made by differences in pharyngealization are phonologized in other varieties of Northern and Southern Qiang. Comparisons are drawn with processes in other Qiangic languages and with Proto-Tibeto Burman reconstructions, in order to explore possible routes of development of pharyngealization; the most plausible source of pharyngealization seen thus far is retraction of vowels following PTB *-w-.