Syllable reduction and syllable coarticulation in Naxi: on the path from monosyllables to suprasegments

纳西语音节弱化与合音——单音节到超音段的演变路径

Likun He (1) , Yan Liu (2)

1 Yunnan Minzu University
2 Minzu University of China

Previous studies report that some syllables carrying high tone in Naxi get deleted (in function words), leaving only a “floating tone” which reassociates to the previous syllable in the sentence. Re-examination of this phenomenon reveals that syllable reduction is extremely common in present-day Naxi, and that it is not limited to high-tone syllables: there are as many as twelve possible tonal combinations in syllable reduction. These reduced syllables behave in ways that are tantalizingly similar to floating tones, but do not entirely match this concept. The study of reduction and coarticulation phenomena in Naxi opens a window onto the phonetic complexity of tonal variation and change; it provides insights into evolutionary paths in tone systems, and their ties to processes of grammaticalization.

前贤认为纳西语某些高调音节（虚词）完全丢失音段弱化为「浮游调」使左邻音节（宿主）变调。重新考察此现象发现音节弱化在现代纳西语中很普遍，弱化并不限于高调音节，弱化后宿主产出非常丰富的音变形式，一共十二种。虽然这与浮游调引起的变调极为相似，但音节弱化并不产生典型的浮游调。纳西语音节弱化与合音音变的研究为描写复杂变调提供了框架，同时为浮游调历史来历与演变路径、词汇化和语法化过程中音节的演变提供了线索。

Mots clés: syllable reduction; tonal reassociation; floating tones; compensatory lengthening; Naxi language

Mots clés: réduction syllabique; réassociation tonale; Allongement compensatoire; Tons flottants; Langue naxi

Mots clés: 音節弱化; 合音變調; 浮游調; 補償性延長; 納西語

Domaines: Linguistique

Likun He, Yan Liu. 纳西语音节弱化与合音——单音节到超音段的演变路径. Language and Linguistics, In press. ⟨halshs-02151503v2⟩