Comparative Phonology of Ivoirian Languages

本项目的核心是重点、深入地比较研究象牙海岸几种夸瓦语的声调和相关韵律现象，鲍勒是调查的中心。在过去一年关于Baule的联合工作中，研究人员发现了两个韵律成分的新证据，这两个成分在文献中已经得到了很大的关注，即韵律词和音位短语。几个音调难题是通过设定韵律域来解决的，这些韵律域是根据语言中的各种其他事实独立地证明是正确的。由此产生的框架提供了比其他常用设备更好的动机分析。项目负责人预计，该项目的影响将扩大到以下领域：韵律音系学对八种相关语言的全面覆盖有望为韵律领域提供明确的、经验性的定义。由于这些数据将以一种协调的方式从待研究的八种语言的数十种方言中收集，因此有望对比较主义者大有裨益。该项目预计将展示跨方言和跨语言研究对同步分析的好处。声调系统的类型学被研究的语言是全声调语言，有两到四个音调和复杂的声调规则。它们可能会进一步阐明以前对西非语言进行的研究提出的语调理论中的各种问题。培训研究生该项目的一个重要组成部分是对语言学家进行母语及相关方言和语言研究的培训。Ivoirian语言的记录该项目将通过创建一套可供扫盲和文学相关工作参考的材料，帮助确保要研究的语言的继续存在。

The core of the present project is a focused, in-depth comparative study of tone and associated prosodic phenomena in a number of Kwa languages of Ivory Coast, with Baule at the center of the investigation. In joint work on Baule over the past year, the investigators have uncovered new evidence for two prosodic constituents that have already received much attention in the literature, the prosodic word and the phonological phrase. Several tonal puzzles were solved by positing prosodic domains that were independently justified on the basis of a variety of other facts in the language. The resulting framework provides a much better motivated analysis than other devices that are commonly used. The project directors expect that the effects of the project will extend to the following areas: Prosodic Phonology The comprehensive coverage of eight related languages promises to provide clear, empirically motivated definitions of the prosodic domains. Comparative Kwa The data, because they will be gathered in a well coordinated fashion from several dozen dialects of the eight languages to be studied, promise to be of great use to comparativists. Methodology The project is expected to demonstrate the benefits of cross-dialect and cross-language study for synchronic analysis. Typology of tonal systems The languages to be studied are full tone languages, with between two and four phonological tones and complex tonal rules. They are likely to shed further light on a variety of questions in the theory of tone that previous investigations in West African languages have asked. Training of graduate students A key component of the project is the training of linguists to carry out research in their native language and related dialects and languages. Documentation of Ivoirian languages The project will help to assure the continued survival of the languages to be studied by creating a body of material that can be drawn on in literacy-related and literary-related work.