The Phonology of Armenian (The ^APhonology of the World's Languages)

This study presents the first contemporary linguistic treatment of Armenian, an Indo-European language whose distinct dialects range geographically from Poland to India. The book documents a rich linguistic (and literary) history dating from the fourth-century translation of the Bible into Classical Armenian. Data are drawn from Classical, Middle, and Standard Eastern and Western Armenian, and from the author's fieldwork on non-standard dialects. CONTENTS INTRODUCTION 1. SURVEY OF ARMENIAN PHONOLOGY 1.1. THE DIALECTS 1.1.1. Historical dialectology 1.2. PHONETICS AND PHONEMICS 1.2.1. SEA 1.2.2. SWA 1.3. BASIC ALTERNATIONS 1.3.1. R-aspiration 1.3.2. Final devoicing 1.3.3. Fricative voice assimilation 1.3.4. S-aspiration 1.3.5. Place assimilation 1.3.6. R-assimilation 1.3.7. Vocalic alternations 1.4. SYLLABLE STRUCTURE 1.4.1. Underlying word-initial clusters 1.4.2. Final consonant clusters 1.4.3. Vowel sequences 1.4.4. Clitics and intransitives 1.4.5. Plural formation 1.4.6. Tests for syllable affiliation in Classical Armenian 2. THEORETICAL BACKGROUND 3. SYLLABIFICATION 3 .1. INTRODUCTION 3.2. BASIC ELEMENTS OF SYLLABIFICATION 3.2.1. Epenthesis versus deletion 3.2.2. Lexical syllabification 3.2.3. The sonority hierarchy 3.2.3.1. Vowels 3.2.3.2. Consonants 3.2.4. Nuclei 3.2.5. Onsets 3.2.6. Codas and appendices 3.2.6.1. Codas 3.2.6.2. Appendices 3.2.6.3. Coda assignment 3.2.6.3.1. The Sonority Blocking Constraint 3.2.7. Epenthesis 3.2.8. The cycle 3.2.9. Directionality 3.3. PECULIARITIES OF ARMENIAN SYLLABIFICATION 3.3.1. Nuclei 3.3.1.1. Vowel sequences 3.3.1.1.1. Sequences of nonhigh vowels 3.3.1.1.2. Sequences containing one high vowel 3.3.1.1.3. Sequences containing high vowels 3.3.2. Onsets 3.3.2.2. Prathesis 3.3.3. Codas 3.3.4. Postcyclic syllabification 3.3.4.1. Intransitives 3.3.4.2. Postcyclic Assignment 3.3.4.2.1. Ordering 3.3.4.2.2. Constraints on attachment 3.3.4.3. Phrasal syllabification 3.3.4.3.1. Onset appropriation 3.3.4.3.2. Appendix licensing and resyllabification 3.3.5. Related rules 3.3.5.1. Plural selection 3.3.5.2. Syllable counting in Classical Armenian 3.3.6. Geminates 3.3.7. Variation 3.4. CONCLUSIONS 3.5. DATA