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Article published In:
Linguistics of the Tibeto-Burman Area
Vol. 47:1 (2024) ► pp.1–16

Notation and phonology of the Tri language in Vilabouly

An introduction and tribute to Gérard Diffloth and his fieldwork

| École Française d'Extrême-Orient,
| National University of Laos, |
| Villanova University,
Gérard Diffloth (1937–2023) was a leading authority on Austroasiatic languages, with a wide range of linguistic interests ranging from historical reconstruction to expressives, and much more. He was a tireless fieldworker who firmly believed that research into the linguistic history of Austroasiatic need be grounded in long-term fieldwork with native speakers in their daily speech environment. In this paper we introduce an unpublished manuscript on the phonology of the Tri language spoken in Vilabouly District, Savannakhet Province in southern Laos. We frame this with a brief introduction to his work, with a tribute to his commitment to fieldwork and the principles he maintained throughout the many decades of working with speakers of Austroasiatic languages.
Keywords: Austroasiatic, Katuic, Brou, Tri, Makong, phonology, phonation, Diffloth
Article outline
  • 1.Background to the research
  • 2.Gérard Diffloth in the field
  • Notation and phonology of the Tri language in Vilabouly
    • 1.Tri vs. Makong
    • 2.An outline of Tri phonology
      • 2.1Word structure
      • 2.2Final consonants
      • 2.3Vowels: Major and minor
        • 2.3.1Major vowels
        • 2.3.2Breathy-voice and clear-voice
        • 2.3.3Breathy-voiced major vowels
        • 2.3.4Clear-voiced major vowels
        • 2.3.5Nasal clear-voiced major vowels
      • 2.4Oral clear-voiced vowels
        • 2.4.1Clear long vowels
        • 2.4.2Clear diphthongs
        • 2.4.5Clear short vowels
      • 2.5Minor vowels
  • 3.A final remark
  • Note
  • References
Published online: 17 May 2024
DOI logo
https://doi.org/10.1075/ltba.00015.cha
References (6)
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