Borrowed Names in Omaha-Ponca

[Koontz John E]

On Mon, 17 Nov 2003, Rory M Larson wrote:
> The Dorsey dictionary [the NAA ms.] distinguishes these forms as
> dialectal within OP: dhe'(e)ghe is Ponka, and ne'(e)ghe is Omaha.

It should be possible to determine if the distribution in Dorsey matches
the sources of his examples.  I'll try to do that.

> Our Omaha speakers use nE'ghe.  (I'm not sure about length, but they
> were pretty firm in correcting me when I was trying to say ne'ghe; the
> first vowel is distinct from the standard /e/, and I hear it as /E/ as
> in 'neck'.  Possibly the /e/ vs. /E/ distinction is equivalent to short
> vs. long /e/ though.)

It might be a contextual effect of gh.  Uvular and back velar fricatives
tend to lower adjacent vowels.

> Stabler & Swetland are specifically Omaha, not OP like Dorsey, so they
> should only have the ne'(e)ghe form.  Kathleen, how is it in Ponka?

Yes, but I should hasten to indicate that I really didn't mean this to be
taken as a defect in any sense.  UmonNhoN Iye of Elizabeth Stabler is
clearly not comprehensive, and I don't think the editors - Mark and Mrs.
Stabler - ever claimed that.  All I meant was the form wasn't attested
there.