Sound Variation /ʃ/÷/ʧ/ in Kuria Varieties Rinchari and Simbiti

P. 118–127.

Beletskiy S., Ojwang' E.

The two neighboring varieties of Kuria language (JE43) – Simbiti (JE431) and Rinchari (JE43?) – exhibit a remarkable sound variation: the contrastive use of palatal affricate /ʧ/ by Rinchari speakers and alveo-palatal sibilant /ʃ/ by Simbiti speakers in the same phonological contexts. This fact determines the research question: what is the nature and cause of the /ʃ/÷/ʧ/ variation in Rinchari and Simbiti? The more plausible explanation of this phenomena is that on the earlier stage of its development the Kuria language underwent incomplete fricativisation *c / *j > ʃ. The /ʃ/ sound was fossilized in what later became Simbiti and gave rise to /ʧ/ sound in what nowadays is Rinchari variety. Fossilisation and affrication are triggered by the same phonological processes: post-nasal affrication and spirantisation in prefixes and causative extensions, while sibilant harmony serves only for fossilisation. In segments that were free of the mentioned processes, full fricativisation took place. That is why now both Simbiti and Rinchari exhibit the sound /s/.

Keywords: Танзания, Tanzania, Bantu languages, банту языки, Kuria language, Simbiti, Rinchari, fricativisation, spirantisation, язык курия, ринчари, симбити, фрикативизация, спирантизация

In book

Труды Института востоковедения РАН. Выпуск 29: Проблемы общей и востоковедной лингвистики: Язык меняющийся: семантические и грамматические изменения в языках Азии и Африки

Т. 29: Проблемы общей и востоковедной лингвистики. Язык меняющийся: семантические и грамматические изменения в языках Азии и Африки. , М.: Институт востоковедения РАН, 2020.