Variation in the Fataluku voiced coronal (j)
This paper represents the first variationist investigation of the voiced coronal phone (j) in Fataluku, a Papuan
language of Timor-Leste. Here, we implement the Boruta algorithm at the front end of our analysis pipeline to quantify predictor
importance, then use classification trees and mixed-effects regression to disentangle observed effects. Analysis suggests that
word position is highly predictive of (j) realization, with glides more likely word-medially and obstruents word-initially. Region
is an important predictor word-medially; speakers in Tutuala show nearly categorical [j], indicating strong allophony. Outside of
Tutuala, medial tokens vary according to gender and education; among speakers with limited formal education, men show higher rates
of glides than women, but speakers with secondary education exhibit higher obstruent rates and no gender differences. Initial
tokens, by contrast, are undergoing a change in progress towards affricate realizations. We interpret these findings in the
context of locally-specific conceptions of place for Fataluku people in Timor-Leste, particularly that of Tutuala.
Keywords: Fataluku, Timor-Leste, East Timor, Lautém, variation in minority languages, Boruta, random forests, classification trees, geographical variation, sociophonetics, language documentation
Article outline
- 1.Introduction
- 2.Background
- 2.1A brief history of Timor-Leste following European colonization
- 2.2Fataluku
- 2.3(j) in Fataluku
- 3.Methods
- 3.1Materials
- 3.2Participants
- 3.3Elicitation procedure
- 3.4Data coding
- 4.Analysis
- 4.1Overall frequencies
- 4.2Consideration of social and linguistic factors
- 4.3Analysis of factor importance
- 4.4Investigating the network of effects
- 5.Discussion and conclusion
- 5.1Mixing methodologies
- 5.2Contextualizing the interplay of social factors
- 5.3The phonemic status of (j)
- Acknowledgements
- Notes
-
References
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