Stem-final consonant and associated alternations in basic transitive

In section 7.3.2 we saw that with the basic transitive verbs two patterns are attested as far as the stem-final consonant is concerned. One is a fixed pattern where all forms have the same stem-final consonant. The other pattern occurs whenever the stem-final consonant is a palatal or a velar glide: there, an alternation is observed between the glide and the homorganic oral stop. The distribution of the alternants in the paradigm is as follows: the stop occurs in the NF NEG form and the glide elsewhere.

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This type of alternation is interesting for a number of reasons. First, it renders a contrast in the NF NEG and the BARE forms which are otherwise identical in the

transitive. Second, this alternation appears to be a borrowing from the Nasir dialect. For this reason I refer to this alternation with the label ‘Nasir stop’ throughout the thesis. Speakers of Lou Nuer can also use another variant for the NF NEG in such cases – the one where the stem-final consonant is a glide as in the other forms. Finally, the

alternation can give rise to an alternation in vowel length. In what follows I discuss each point in detail.

Consider some examples of alternating paradigms where the glide occurs in all forms, including the BARE form, except for the NF NEG which ends in a homorganic oral stop instead (7). Example (7a) shows an alternation between a palatal glide in BARE form and a palatal oral stop in NF NEG form. Example (7b) shows an alternation between a velar glide and a velar oral stop in the two forms.

7. 1SG ~ 3PL ~ BARE ~ NF NEG

a. lu ̄ɔ j-ʌ ̤́ ~ lu ̤̀ɔ j-kɛ̄ ~ lu ̤́j ~ lu ̤́c ‘kill in secret’ b. da ̄ɰ-ʌ ̤́ ~ da ̤̀ɰ-kɛ̄ ~ dʌ ̤́ɰ ~ dʌ ̤́k ‘divorce’

For any given paradigm that exhibits an alternation of this kind, my reference speakers of Lou Nuer would always give an alternative NF NEG form, one that is syncretic with the BARE form. The accompanying explanation was always that the form with the oral stop is the feature of the Nasir dialect (which has a stop in the NF NEG form when there is a homorganic glide in other paradigmatic forms), and that the form with the glide is how the Lou Nuer say it. That said, it is always the NF NEG form with a stem-final stop that my Lou speakers volunteered first. I therefore assume that this alternation is now a stable feature of this dialect.

The Nasir stop alternation can be accompanied by an alternation in vowel length. The examples in (8) show that the vowel is shorter when followed by a stop than when followed by a glide (BARE and NF NEG forms normally have identical vowel length). The vowel length alternation in (8) is a vowel shortening process which arises as a by-

product of the alternation in the stem-final consonant. It must be noted that an

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stem-final consonant has been linked to vowel lengthening in Western Nuer (Monich 2017b). According to Monich (2017b), the consonantal lenition leads to vowel

lengthening. What I describe here appears to be the inverse situation. The basic value occurs in the BARE form which ends in the glide, and the vowel shortens in NF NEG as a by-product of the change to stop. The example ‘repeat’ is a case at hand. This is an alternating long basic transitive verb, as is evident from the fact that the BARE form is long and the 1SG form is overlong. Another piece of evidence comes from the vowel length of the corresponding antipassive. In section 8.4.2.1 below I show that with the alternating long transitive, which has a sonorant stem-final consonant, the antipassive is expected to have overlong vowel length. This is indeed what we find in this case. If the transitive is instead reanalysed as a short alternating verb we would expect the

antipassive to have the long vowel length, and this is not what we find in this case (see the antipassive of ‘repeat’ in (8), which has the overlong vowel).

8. wʊ̤́ʊj wʊ̤́c

undress(TR).BARE undress(TR).NF NEG

te ̤́e ɰ te ̤́k

be.alive(TR).BARE be.alive(TR).NF NEG

lʊ̤́ʊʊj-i ̤́ lʊ̤́ʊj lʊ̤́c

repeat(TR)-2SG repeat(TR).BARE repeat(TR).NF NEG

cf. lu ̄u u j-i ̤́ lu ̄u u j

repeat(TR).AP-2SG repeat(TR).AP.BARE

8.2.4 Summary of the properties of the transitive base

Table 81 is a summary of the properties of the basic transitive paradigms. Stem vowels can be either grade 1 or 2. The distribution of the inflectional vowel values in the cells is fixed: 1SG and PL forms have grade B vowel and the remaining forms have grade A vowel. The exception is the NF form, where the choice of A - B values is lexically

specified. Vowel length can be either fixed, in which case all forms have identical vowel length, or alternating, in which case the singular forms have longer vowel length than the other forms. Fixed vowel length can be either short or long and only rarely overlong (the latter forms arise through the process of lengthening described in section 7.1.3).

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Alternating vowel length is between short and long (V~VV) or between long and overlong (VV~VVV). Tone in the singular stems can be H, M and only rarely L.

Paradigm-internally there are tone classes (see Appendix A). Tone in transitive interacts with vowel length (see section 8.2.2). The value of the stem-final consonant can be either fixed or alternating. The alternating pattern (with the Nasir stop) involves a palatal or a velar stop in the NF NEG form and a homorganic glide in all other forms. The effect of the Nasir stop can be vowel shortening with non-short stems.

Table 81. Summary of the properties of basic transitive paradigms. Derivational vowel grade Inflectional vowel grade Length Tone in singular stems C2

Fixed Alternating Fixed Alternating

1SG 1 or 2 B V, VV or VVV (rare) Lengthening M, H or L (rare) j/ɰ 2-3SG A 1-2PL B V or VV Classes 3PL B BARE A NF NEG A c/k NF A or B j/ɰ

8.3 Predictability in the derivation of verb categories from the