Kolokuma ideophones.pdf - Roger Blench
Kolokuma ideophones.pdf - Roger Blench
Kolokuma ideophones.pdf - Roger Blench
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<strong>Roger</strong> <strong>Blench</strong> Izọn templatic <strong>ideophones</strong> Circulated for comment<br />
Static<br />
sakeléè<br />
sakaláà<br />
lower limbs are smaller<br />
than the body<br />
tall, thin with a badlyproportioned<br />
body and<br />
tiny legs<br />
not very tall; thin and<br />
delicate in posture<br />
Moving, unbalanced<br />
unbalanced person<br />
sákelesàkele not attested tall -a-e-e<br />
sákalasàkala not attested medium -a-a-a<br />
Exact segmental reduplication with a polar tone is used to contrast static and moving objects. Vowel height<br />
a→e→o indicates the height of the thing described, with the low central vowel suggesting the least height.<br />
Combinations of vowels are applied to signify elements of what is described, such ‘tall but with thin legs’,<br />
suggesting something out of proportion. Nzọn also uses the switch between ±ATR vowel qualities to signify<br />
an overall size distinction, hence the alternation o/ọ in the derivations of sókoroò. Paradigms are never<br />
perfect; two potential forms are not attested and are given in italics in a reconstructed form, following the<br />
logic of the other items.<br />
5. Are there parallels elsewhere in Njọ?<br />
Given the density of the system in Nzọn it can reasonably be asked whether such systems exist elsewhere in<br />
the Njọ group. Maduka (1988) has explored the ‘phonosemantics’ of <strong>ideophones</strong> in Nembe and reached<br />
similar conclusions concerning the correlation of vowel height with size and shape. Documentation is an<br />
issue; only very large dictionaries cite enough material to provide evidence for more recondite types of<br />
ideophone and Nembe is the other language for which such a dictionary exists (Kaliai 1964; rev. ed. Kaliai,<br />
Williamson & <strong>Blench</strong> ined.). The Nembe dictionary has the problem that <strong>ideophones</strong> are not specifically<br />
marked, and are listed under adjectives, adverbs and sometimes verbs. Moreover, Nembe has a<br />
morphological process for marking adverbs, the addition of a suffix, -mọ, which is a verbal extension in<br />
Nzọn. The revised version of the dictionary does indicate <strong>ideophones</strong> through secondary re-analysis. With<br />
these caveats in mind, it seems there are certain pan-Njọ similarities. For example, there is clearly a<br />
consonantal frame to denote unsteady walking, related to the examples in Table 8. Table 10 shows a related<br />
set of Nembe <strong>ideophones</strong> around the notion of walking an unsteady manner or tottering.<br />
̣<br />
Table 10. A Nembe template t-k-r describing unsteady entities<br />
Nembe<br />
Gloss<br />
tẹrẹ<br />
to support; keep from falling<br />
téketéke totter; walk unsteadily and fast (especially of child learning to walk, or somebody<br />
staggering)<br />
tekéke<br />
unsteady; insecure<br />
téperetépere unsteady; tottering<br />
wekélewekéle unsteady (of canoe)<br />
yẹkérẹyẹkéṛẹ<br />
unsteady; restless (behaviour)<br />
kérekére unsteady in behaviour<br />
kérekére<br />
léelée<br />
unsteady<br />
lékeléke<br />
unsteady; restless<br />
leketélekete wavering, oscillating unsteadily; becoming unsteady<br />
The basic verb underlying these may be tẹ(ke)rẹ ‘support; keep from falling’ although the ATR vowel<br />
alternation is unexplained. This can be reduplicated in various ways and then shortened to produce such<br />
forms as tekéke. The k→p alternation in téperetépere almost certainly reflects original k→kp, attested in<br />
Nzọn and then a loss of the velar onset. As with the examples in §3.5, the initial consonant can undergo<br />
mutation (t → w,y) to describe slightly different types of unsteadiness. Strikingly, in Nembe, both syllable<br />
metathesis and complete syllabic reversal (C 1 /C 2 /C 3 → C 3 /C 2 /C 1 ) are permitted, hence leketélekete, which is<br />
in turn shortened to lékeléke and then léelée, creating forms which have hardly any surface similarities to<br />
the orginal template. Nembe does not seem to use word-internal shifts in vowel height to signify size<br />
properties of the entity described. The Nembe system has yet to be fully documented, but it is clear that it<br />
10