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Vowel-Consonant Interdependence in Sinhala

IVAN PETRYSHYN

THE VOWEL HARMONY IN THE SINHALA LANGUAGE

INTRODUCTION

The vowel harmony is a well-known concept in the linguistics. At the very first glance, one cannot but comprehend that in a word, every single vowel is used according to some specific rules, which are sure to influence one another, and no other vowel can be used instead of the one at its definite place without the change of the sense of the whole word.

The problem of the VH is by no means a new one, though it has been done for different languages. If to start the research of the Vowel Harmony in the Indo-European Languages which the author has the access to, one should begin with the Sanskrit Language first for the reason of the language ancient nature and for the reason of the basis of the well-elaborated theory.

The only source found on the matter in the Washington Library in Chicago is “The Introduction to Sanskrit" by Vyaas Houston published by the American Sanskrit Institute in New-York.

The work has really a very interesting insight into the problem of the phonology of the language, the sounds description and the possibility of the reconstruction of the vowels nature deduction by means of prolonging of the basic simple sounds which really seem to explain the sound change chains. The author of the provides the classification of the sounds, well-known in other languages phonologies: 1) guttural 2) palatal 3) cerebral 4) dental 5) labial. Besides, the author investigates the following oppositions of the vowels: 1) one beat/one matra/ vs.

two beats/two matras/, that is short vs. long vowels 2) vibrated vs. non-vibrated 3) strengthening/guna/ vs. non-strengthening vs. double strengthening /vridhi, i.e. expansion/ 4) simple vowel vs. blending of 2 vowels.

It is worth mentioning that the following originating vowel chains are analyzed:

a-i-u-yu

a-y-u-o

a-i-r-u

a-aha-i-i:-u-u:

If pronounced prolonged, the vowel a is said to make the other vowels. The u vowel is said to discontinue the vowel sounds chain.

The merit of the work lies also in the fact that the author of it points out the role of the tongue movement in the formation of the derived sounds from the basic one. The author distinguishes between 5 positions that enable to form new sounds. Especially noticeable are the ways to form the diphthongs by means of the “strengthening of the guna". Thus,

a+i>ei, i>y(as the Ukrainian “"),

a+i>ai ( prolonging a>y>ai),

prolonging yy>ei, prolonging yi>ai

i+i:>ai,

a+u>au>ou,

prolonging of ou > u( seen as the final limit of o),

u>u:>ou,

u>o (guna of u/u),

y>i/i: (guna)

a+ou>ao

Besides, the scholar investigates the following oppositions:

-non-aspirated vs. aspirated consonants

-vibrated vs. non-vibrated sounds

-short vs. long vowels

Also the pronunciation differentiation is taken into consideration: the rolling of the tongue, the backward drawing of the tongue, the blending of the vowels giving way to a diphthong, complete blending of 2 vowels, the “power" of the pronunciation, the strengthening and the double-strengthening of the vowel, discompletion of a vowel sound, expansion of a vowel, completion of a vowel sound. The author also distinguishes between the idependent pronunciation of vowels and the special quality of vowels (accommodation) which enables the pronunciation of the following consonant.

Studying the problem of completing the vowels, the scholar points out their special accommodation feature (lips closing) which lies in ending the breath when the vowel is pronounced /anaswara/ and finishes with the consonants m/h . The following possibilities are observed: a,u,u:,ai,o,au,ru,ri +M and a,a:, i, u, u:, o,ou, n, r, wr + H/H’.

Observing the compatibility of consonants and vowels, the scientist differentiates the following cases:

- a consonant + i: k, g, ch, dzh, t, th, d, dh, n, p, b, bh, m, y, r, l, v, s, sh, h +I

- a consonant +u: k, g, gh, ch, dzh, t, th, d, dh, n, m, y, exception r, l, v, s, sh, h + U

- a consonant +u: : k, g, gh, ch, dzh, dzhH, t, d, dh, n, p, ph, b, bh, m, y, exception r, l, v, s, sh, h + U:

- a consonant +the diphthong ei: k, g, gh, ch, chH, dzh, dzhH, t, th, d, dh, n, p, ph, b, bh, m, y, r, l, v. s, sh, h+ EI

- a consonant + ai: k, g, gh, ch, chH, dzh, dzhH, t, th, d, dh, n, p, ph, b, bh, m, y, r, l, v, s, sh, shH, h + AI

- a consonant + o: k, kh, g, gh, ch, chH, dzh, dzhH, t, th, d, dh, n, p, ph, b, bh, m, y, r, l, v, s, sh, h + O

- a consonant + au: k, kh, g, gh, ch, chH, dzh, dzhH, t, th, d, dh, n, p, ph, b, bh, m, y, r, l, v, s, sh, h + AU

- a consonant + a+M (anaswara): k,kh, g, gh, ch, chH, dzh, dzhH, d, dh, n, p, ph, b, bh, m, y, r, l, v, s, sh, h + AM

- a consonant +aha (vissaraga): k, kh, g, gh, ch, chH, dzh, dzhH, t, th, d, dh, n, p, ph, y, r, l, s, sh, h + AHA

The philologist provides the following main deduction chains of vowels and consonants :

- simple vowels: a>aha>i>i:>u>u:

- diphthongs: ei>ai>ou>au

- consonants(guttural>hard>hard aspirated>soft>nasal): ka>kha>ga>gha>na

- palatal: cha>chHa>dzha>dzhHa>nyaha

- dental: ta>tha>da>dha>na

- vissaraga (+AHA): taha>thaha>daha>dhaha>naha

- labial: pa>pha>ba>bha>ma

- semi-vowels: ya>ra>la>va

- sibilants (+HA): sha>shHa>sa>ha

It’s worth to know that the author tries to specify all the possible cases of the vowel-consonant, consonant-vowel and consonant-consonant combinations:

- a consonant +R+vowel: k,g, dzh, tr, dr ,pr + RI : (lR in one word only “klrp")

- compound syllabic consonants (a consonant + a/o/e/)

- virama (elimination of an inter-consonant vowel in the –n(A)t->-NT- group:" shaNTa, shaNTi"

- compound consonant guttural groups (a+KK,KT,GD,GDH,GN,NK,N’K,NG,NGH+a

g /k+consonant+a (KY,KR,KL,KV,KHY,GY,GR,GL,GHY,GRHR +a))

- siribro 1^st member: 1) a+TT/TTH/TSTS/NT/NTH/ND/NDH/NN"Y/NN+a

- 2) TY/TR/TV/DY/DR/DV/DHY/DHR/DVH/+ a

- a dental consonant as the 1^st member: a+TH/TT/TTH/TP/TPH/TY/TR/TV/TSTS/THY/DG/DD/DDH/DV/DPH/DM/DY/DR/DV/NT/NTH/ND+a

- a labial consonant as the 1^st member: a) a+PT/PN/MN/MP/MB/MBH/MV+a

b)PY/PR/PL/PS/PHY/PR/PHR/BD/BR/BHY/BHR/MNMY/MR/ML+a

- a semi-vowel as the 1^st member:

a) a+YY/RK/RKH/RG/RGH/LK/LP/LLY/LL +a

b) VY/VR+a

- a palatal consonant as the 1^st member:

a) a+CHCH"/DZHDZH/NCH/NCHh/NDZH/NDZHh+a

b) GY/CHhR/G"Y/DZHY/DZHR/DZHV/+a

- other possible vowel-consonant/consonant-vowel/consonant-consonant-vowel groups deduced are:

- a)a+SH+consonant+a

- b)a consonant+a

- c)an aspirated consonant+a

- d)doubled consonant+a

- e)H+N/Y/R/L/V+a

- f)A+3 consonats+a: a+PSHM/KSHV/GDH/NGY/NDHKY/TTW/PPN/DDH/DHY

TRY+a

The theoretical digest of the vowel-consonant dependence seems to be so much simple and complete as the scholar investigates the vowel usage with the dental consonants, the usage of the basic vowels and diphthongs in the 1^st syllable and the thorough description of the Sanskrit vowels,- all this is a very important foundation for the specific researches in concrete languages.

In the 1^st part we try to make a more or less complete survey of the vowel-consonant/consonant-vowel interdependence (which we call the VOWEL HARMONY) in the Sinhala language as the possible start of the further research in Romance, Germanic Slavonic and Baltic languages.

The new tendency in the research lies in the investigation of vowel influences within the limits of one word or one word-combination in accordance with the number of the word syllables.

Introductory Table A

Sinhala	Languages	Examples (Transcription)
sigahnnah	Rus.,Ukr.,Pol.	tsygan, tsigan
mahllee	Ukr.,Rus.,Pol	malyy, maly
kassah	Ukr.,Rus.	kashlyaty, kashlyat’
taahttah	Ukr.	tato, tatus’
mahrahnahya	Ukr.,Rus.,Pol.,Ital.,French	vmyraty, mary, mor, Moryevna, morire, morier
bhahya	Ukr.,Rus., Pol.	boyatysya, bayatsa, boyats’ sie, bats’ sie
polowah	Rus., Ukr., Pol.	pol, pidloha, podloga
dhenahvah	Ukr., Rus., Pol., Czech	davaty, davat’, davats’, davat
parrahnah	Ukr.	Paranya (name)
rohsah paahtah	Rus., Ital., Engl., Ukr., Pol.	roza, rose, ruzha
vidhyaahvah	Ukr., Rus., Pol.	vidaty, vyedat’, viedza
dhum	Ukr., Rus., Pol.	dym
ahenahvaah	Ukr., Rus., Engl., Germ.	vuha, ushy, (ahinyeya!), hear, horen
mahmah	Ukr.,Rus., Pol., Ital., Engl., Germ.	(indirect cases of “I"): mene, meni myenya, mnye mnie, mnou mi, me me mich, mir
vihiluvah	Ukr.	“vyhylyasy"(fig.:joke)
yukthiya	Ukr., Rus., Latin, Engl.,Ital.	yustytsiya, yustitsyya, iustitia, justice, giustificare
dzeevithahyah	Ukr., Rus., Lettish, Pol.,Chech, Ital., French, Spanish	zhyty, zhyttya zhyt’, zhyz’n’ dzivs zhyts’, zhytsie zhyvot vivere vivir
ahmmaah	Ukr., Rus., Pol., Lettish, Ital., Spanish, French, Engl., Germ.	mama mamma maman mother Muti
uthura	Rus.,Czech, Pol., Ukr.	utro, jitro, jutro, utrennya
nahhahyah (* nahsahya)	Germ., Ital., Ukr., Rus., Pol.	Naze, nazo, nis, nos
pirisidhu	Ital., Engl.	puro, pure
orahlosuwah ( Portugese borrowing)	Ital., Spanish	orologio, oreloj
dhora, dhoruwa	Engl., Germ, Ukr., Rus., Pol	door, Tur, dveri, dvyeri, dzhvi
ekah-ekah	Engl.	each
aha	Germ.,Lettish,Ukr.,, Pol.,Rus.,Ital., Engl.,	Auge, auc, oko, occhio, eye
vassah	Germ.,Ukr., Pol., Rus.,Czech	Wasser, voda, vada, voda
Kaahmahrahyah (Portugese borrowing)	Ital., Ukr., Rus.,	kamera, kimnata, komnata
rahvum	Engl., Germ., Ital.,French	raund, rund, rotondo, retondo, rond
navah	Ital., Spanish, French	nave, naval, navir
veethiya	Ital.	via
mattah	Ital., Engl.	matto, mad
yahnnahvah	Ital., Span.,French,,Ukr., Rus., Pol., Czech	andare, andar, aller, yty, itti, is’ts’, yit
dheviyah	Gypsy, Lettish, Ukr., Russ., Ital., Spanish, French	devlah, dehvs, dyv/dyvo, div/divo, Dio, Dios, Duh
kaahrunaahvahthah	Ital, Spanish, French, Engl.	karo, sher, kaind
Aahdahrahyah kireemah	Ital., Spanish, French	adorare, adorer, adore
minisaah	Germ., Engl., Ukr., Russ., Pol.,Ital., Spanish, French	Mann, man, muzh/muzhchyna/muzhchina, monzh/menshchyzna, uwomo, ombre, ombr
nahmah	Germ., Engl., Ital., Spanish, French,Czech, Ukr., Russ.,Pol.	Name, neim, nome, nombre, nom, nameno, (-n)imya, (-n)imye, (-n)ymeno

BIBLIOGRAPHY:

1.Vyaas Houston, Introduction to Sanskrit.- The American Sanskrit Institute, 73 Four Comers Rd, Warwick, NY, 10900. – 22 pp.

2. Margit Meinhold, Sri Lanka Phrasebook.- Lonely Planet Publications, Australia, 1987. – 72 pp.

3. Swarna Pragnaratne, Sinhala Phrasebook.- Lonely Planet Publications Pry Ltd., 2^nd Edition, Australia, 2002.- 228 pp.

All the rights are reserved. Not permitted to reproduce in any way without a written consent of the author.

Ivan Petryshyn 10/14/04 – 12/11/04 Chicago

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