Omaha nasal vowels

[Catherine Rudin]

Welcome back, Ardis!
I don't know whether there's any basis for positing two phonemes oN and aN,
though I suspect not.  (They pretty much all sound like aN to me, and I think
the occasional oN is allophonic and/or just speaker variation.  But I haven't
listened real hard, much less done any instrumental analysis or anything).
But I'm quite sure your explanation about "nasalized" vs. "nasal" won't work.
Your "kombtha" (= kkaNbdha in "net Siouan") doesn't have a "real" m, just
sometimes an epenthetic bit of m in the transition from nasal (yes, nasal) vowel
to b.  Compare the third person gaNdha, etc.    Catherine

____________________Reply Separator____________________
Subject:    Re: Omaha nasal vowels
Author: Ardis R Eschenberg <are2 at acsu.buffalo.edu>
Date:       8/23/00 5:08 PM

Hi Everyone!!
I just got regular access to email after a very long long gap.  In reply
to the question about nasal vowels, I second John & add:
The uN definitely seems to be transcribed when before a back consonant
like 'k' or 'g' (hence allophonic variation).
For the most part, the nasal vowels sound like [aN] when the elders speak.
However, there are a few times when there is a distinct nasalized [o].  I
believe this is because it is nasalized and not 'a nasal'; that is, it is
nasal as it occurs before a nasal consonant.
Example: Kombtha 'I want,' 'Shkona 'You want'
Here, the [o] has a nasal quality but it is very [o] not [a] sounding.
I'm no phonetician, but these issues come up pretty regularly in the
classroom.  Also, in another email relating to phonetics (in june!!!), it
was put forth that te 'the-obviative' is aspirated 'tHe.'  That's 100%
right.
Finally, regarding another June email, I spoke at CLS about some of those
tricky polysemous (ala J Koontz) or homophonous (a la B Rankin) particles
like egoN and gave a brief overview for why I advocate showing relations
between the various instantiations (and contrasted how two different
theories might differentiate and relate them), if anyone wants a copy.
Ok, I still have to read all of my email from July 1 til yesterday.  (I
promise not to comment on every email that went out.
Happy to be back(in NE & on email)!!!,
Ardis