Pazeh language

language
name=Pazeh
familycolor=Austronesian
fam2=Formosan
iso2=map
iso3=uun
states=Taiwan
region=
speakers=1 [ [http://www.ethnologue.com/show_language.asp?code=uun ethnologue] ]

Pazeh (Pazih) is the language of the Pazeh, a tribe of indigenous people on Taiwan (see Taiwanese aborigines). It is a Formosan language of the Austronesian languages language family. As there is only one speaker, the language is moribund.

Phonology

#IPA|/t/ and IPA|/d/ do not actually share the same place of articulation; IPA|/d/ is alveolar or prealveolar and IPA|/t/ (as well as IPA|/n/) is interdental. Other coronal consonants tend to be prealveolar or post-dental.
#The distribution for the glottal stop is allophonic, appearing only between like vowels, before initial vowels, and after final vowels. It is also largely absent in normal speech
#IPA|/g/ is spirantized intervocalically
#IPA|/z/ is actually an alveolar/prealveolar affricate IPA| [dz] and only occurs as a syllable onset. [Harvcoltxt|Blust|1999|p=328]
#IPA|/h/ varies between glottal and pharyngeal realizations (IPA| [ħ] ) and is sometimes difficult to distinguish from IPA|/x/

While Pazeh contrasts voiced and voiceless obstruents, this contrast is neutralized in final position for labial and velar plosives, where only IPA|/p/ and IPA|/k/ occur respectively (IPA|/d/ is also de-voiced but a contrast is maintained). IPA|/l/ and IPA|/n/ are also neutralized to the latter. [Harvcoltxt|Blust|1999|p=324] Voiceless plosives are unreleased in final position.

Mid vowels (IPA| [ɛ] and IPA| [o] ) are allophones of close vowels (IPA|/i/ and IPA|/u/ respectively).
* Both lower when adjacent to IPA|/h/.
* lowers before IPA|/ŋ/. IPA| [u] and IPA| [o] are in free variation before IPA|/ɾ/
*Reduplicated morphemes carry the phonetic vowel even when the reduplicated vowel is not in the phonological context for lowering.
**IPA|/mutapitapih/ → IPA| [mu.ta.pɛ.taˈpɛh] ('keep clapping'). [Harvcoltxt|Blust|1999|p=330]

IPA|/a/ is somewhat advanced and raised when adjacent to IPA|/i/. Prevocally, high vowels are semivocalized. Most coronal consonants block this, although it still occurs after IPA|/s/. Semivowels also appear post-vocally. [Harvcoltxt|Blust|1999|p=329]

Phonotactics

The most common morpheme structure is CVCVC where C is any consonant and V is any vowel. Consonant clusters are rare and consist only of a nasal plus a homorganic obstruent or the glide element of a diphthong. [Harvcoltxt|Blust|1999|p=324]

intervocalic voiceless stops are voiced before a morpheme boundary (but not following one) . [Harvcoltxt|Blust|1999|p=326] Stress falls on the ultimate syllable. [Harvcoltxt|Blust|1999|p=324]

Morphology

Pazeh makes ready use of affixes, infixes, suffixes, and circumfixes, as well as reduplication. [Harvcoltxt|Blust|1999|p=340] Pazeh also has "focus-marking" in its verbal morphology. In addition, verbs can be either stative or dynamic.

References

Bibliography

*citation
last =Blust
first= Robert
authorlink=Robert Blust
year= 1999
title= Notes on Pazeh Phonology and Morphology
journal= Oceanic Linguistics
volume= 38(2)
pages = 321-365

Further reading

*Li, R., & Tsuchida, S. (2002). "Pazih texts and songs". Taipei: Institute of Linguistics (Preparatory Office), Academia Sinica. ISBN 9576718880