The Verbal Art of Nenets Shamanism [antikvár]

44 PÉTER SlMONCSICS Standard orthography] are oniitted. I decided to do so to make typesetting easier and subsequent computational manipulations easier. 0.2 Characteristics of Nenets language (Tundra-dialect) 0.2.1 Phonology 0. 2.1.1 Consonantism PALATALIZED - NON-PALATALIZED is the dominant opposition of Nenets consonantism. Character y has two readings: in post-consonantal position it marks palatalization, in intervocalic position it represents a glide. Thus Tundra-Nenets has the following consonantal pairs: p - py, b -by, m • my, w - y, t - ty, d - dy, c - cy, n - ny, s - sy, I - ly, r -ry all of which can be described as FRONT. FRONT CONSONANTS occur freely, with the exception of LAX STOPs, AFFRICATES and TREMULANTs. LAX STOPs and AFFRICATES do not occur initially, if yes, only in affective words. On the other hand, the occurance of BACK CONSONANTS, i.e. VELAR and GLOTTAL STOPS: k, qlh (non-nasalizable / nasalizable glottal stop) ng andjt is more restricted and show complementary distribution: VELARs, ng and x occur only in initial position {x is but the correlative LAX pair of TENSE k - a mirror image to FRONT STOPs pib and tid where the opposite is the case), GLOTTALs only in final position. Li poetic diction it frequently occurs that a LAX STOP alternates with a SPIRANT, e.g. the poetic variant of the conditional gerund ngcebnanda ' if there is ' sounds as ngawpynando', or even the TENSE STOP p of everyday language surfaces as a doubly LAX SPIRANT w in verse, e.g. !mrcyadeyq 'he/she glances at [sy/sg]' as opposed to poetic warcyeyteyey. Similarly, TENSE t surfaces as LAX d in poetry, temtangkunyih 'we [2] shall buy' as opposed to poetic demdpwngkunyey. The NASALIZABLE GLOTTAL STOP often surfaces in verse as VELAR NASAL ng, the NON-NASALIZABLE GLOTTAL STOP as PALATAL y, e.g. syanih 'once' as opposed to poetic syamnf>ev. tarpiwig 'he/she came out' as opposed to poetic tarpowiyey. Stops Affricates Nasals Spirants Liquids Tense Lax Laterals Trcmulants Labials P b m w Front Dentals t d c n s 1 r Palatals py by cy my y ly ry ty dy ny Back Velars k ng X Glottals q/h