2019 Linguistics Student Conference

Keynote Speaker: Dr. Sharon Hargus
University of Washington

Dex Xinag “Voiceless Unaspirates”: Not a Case of Phonologically Driven Phonetics

Athabaskan languages have been routinely described as having a three- way phonation contrast for syllable-initial (pre-vocalic) stops and affricates (at most places of articulation) consisting of voiceless unaspirates, voiceless aspirates, and ejectives. In syllable-final (pre-consonantal, word-final) position, the only stops and affricates which are allowed in the typical Athabaskan language are voiceless unaspirated, although a few languages have variations on this basic pattern. Hupa, Dena’ina, Ahtna have retained syllable-final ejectives as well as voiceless unaspirates, while Deg Xinag, Holikachuk, and the lower dialect of Koyukon have developed voicing contrasts in syllable-final position.
In this presentation I consider a question about Deg Xinag phonology posed to me by Jeff Leer. Given that Deg Xinag has a syllable-final voicing contrast, might the syllable-initial voiceless unaspirated stops in that language have shifted to voiced? I present phonetic evidence that Deg Xinag syllable-initial /t/ is still /t/. I contrast Deg Xinag with the Fort Ware dialect of Tsek’ene, where only syllable-final voiceless aspirated stops and affricates occur, yet there is phonetic evidence that /t/ has shifted to /d/ for some speakers. Thus formal symmetry exhibits little pressure on this aspect of either inventory.

 

2019 Schedule of Events

8:45  Coffee & Refreshments
9:00 Dr. Sharon Hargus
University of Washington
Deg Xinag “Voiceless Unaspirates”:  Not a Case of Phonologically Driven Phonetics
10:00 Carolyn Mousseau
Applied Linguistics (MA)

A Novice Language Teacher in the Peace Corps: Looking back

10:25 Tara Smith
Anthropology (PhD)
Neoliberal Common Sense & Global English: Naturalization, Appropriation & Resistance
10:50  Discussion
11:00 Scott Bushey
Applied Linguistics (MA)
Interdental Fricative Loss in Faroese and Norn
11:25 Gina Schlobohm
Applied Linguistics (MA)
Rhinoglottophilia
11:50  Discussion
12:00 Hishinlai’ Peter
Interdisciplinary Studies (PhD 2019)
Activity Theory and Indigenous languages
12:30  Lunch (Provided)
1:00

Dr. Wendy Martelle & Dr. Sabine Siekmann

Literacy for Emergent Bilinguals: Collaborative Multimodal Meaning Making

306 Gruening

2:10

Jacob Ellana
Linguistics (BA)

TBA
2:35 John Shank
Linguistics (BA)
A Sociolinguistic Study of Ӱn Language Ideology
2:55 Ivana Ash
Linguistics (BA)
The Verbal Aspect of the Empty Stem [pi’] in Sugt’stun
3:20  Discussion
3:30  Coffee & Refreshments
3:40 Alex King
Linguistics (BA)
Atret Kangiliryarat: Naming Practices of the Yupiit in Southwest Ӱ
4:15 Emily Dreher
Linguistics (BA)
Critical Discourse Analysis of the Linguistic Portrayal of Animal Athletes
4:40  Discussion