Vowel Duration Issue in Civili

Abstract

The main goal of this article is to define the problem of vowel duration in Civili (H12a). It shows that the so-called Civili vowel-length desperately needs to be reexamined , because previous works on the sound system of this language hardly explain a number of phonological phenomena, such as vowel lengthening, on the basis of data at hand. Demonstrating the problem in question, the author first reviews previous works that all identify a vowel lengthening in Civili. From different analyses the complexity of the phenomenon is found out by observing differences from an analysis to another, and by regarding difficulties the different phonologists came up against. Then, the problem is also seen through the weakness of each analysis results. This eventually shows more aspects of the vowel duration issue, and leads the author to make a clear distinction between vowel length and vowel lengthening that can be all regarded as only vowel duration. Finally, the article shares a possible way for a solution through an experimental approach of the Civili sound system.

Perceived duration in vowel-length based Civili minimal pairs

“…This is not exactly the case in Civili, as shown in Ndinga- Koumba-Binza (2004& 2008, who exposed the tangle between phonetic and phonological contexts that weakened analyses from previous phonological studies (i.e. Ndamba, 1977;Blanchon, 1984Blanchon, & 1990Mabika Mbokou, 1999;and Ndinga-Koumba-Binza, 2000).…”

“…It is important to note that these works refer to impressionistic phonetic observations by the respective researchers and do not rely on experimentally-gathered and verified data. Ndinga- Koumba-Binza (2004) has highlighted that despite abundant literature on the topic, vowel length is still a real issue in this language due to different views held by researchers.…”

Language Science and Language Technology in Africa: Festschrift for Justus C. Roux

“…Ndinga- Koumba-Binza (2004:197-198, 2008:29-53, 2012 has assessed existing data stemming from studies by Marichelle (1902), Ndamba (1977), Blanchon (1990), Mabika Mbokou (1999, and Ndinga- Koumba-Binza (2000). These data have been found impressionistic and inadequate for a reliable processing of Civili vocalic quantity.…”

The Representation of Vowel Duration in Civili Dictionaries

“…This is shown by Ndinga- Koumba-Binza (2000 and2004) who conducted an autosegmental analysis to describe the vowel duration phenomenon. He postulates that long and/or lengthened vowels are just an outcome of various processes within the underlying system of the language.…”

“…The views presented here are the results of systematic studies conducted by Ndinga-Koumba-Binza (2000, 2004and 2008 at various levels (i.e. acoustic, perceptual and phonological).…”