Diminutive Consonant Symbolism in Western North America

Datos Bibliográficos

ID2854693
AutoresJ Nichols (0000-0002-3709-1861, autor de correspondencia)
Año1971
Volumen47
Número4
Páginas826
Fecha de publicación1971-12-01
Peer ReviewedSí
Open AccessNo
TipoARTICLE
RevistaLanguage (JOURNAL)
Identificadores de la revistaISSN: 0097-8507 • E-ISSN: 1535-0665
EditorialJSTOR (PUBLISHER)
DOI10.2307/412159
OpenAlexW2332247135
IdiomaEN
Citas recibidas38
Referencias citadas22

Alteration of root consonants is a frequent means of expressing the diminutive in many of the languages of western North America. Interlingual comparison reveals phonetic consistencies between diminutive shifts of the languages for which information on sound symbolism is available. Increased hardness of articulation and higher pitch constitute the phonetic bases of diminutive shifting. Markedness and the form of the phonemic system are less important than phonetic criteria in determining shift types. In spite of gaps in the available data, some observations can be made concerning areal distribution and historical implications of shift types

Diminutive · Linguistic Variation and Morphology · Phonetics and Phonology Research · Syntax, Semantics, Linguistic Variation