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Part of
Above and Beyond the Segments: Experimental linguistics and phonetics
Edited by Johanneke Caspers, Yiya Chen, Willemijn Heeren, Jos Pacilly, Niels O. Schiller and Ellen van Zanten
[Not in series 189] 2014
► pp. 218–229

Field notes from a phonetician on Tundra Yukaghir orthography

The present article sketches problems with respect to the orthography of the highly endangered isolated Paleo-Siberian language Tundra Yukaghir, spoken in the far northeast of the Republic of Sacha, Russian Federation. Though an official orthography exists, no consensus on the orthography exists among native speakers of the language. As a result, confusion occurs in the spelling, especially of vowel phoneme /ö/ and phonemic long vs. short vowels. These vowels are not well described and not always pronounced and perceived correctly. Two experiments are discussed describing the nature of vowel /ö/ and vowel length. Finally, reasons for the confusing orthography, also in language teaching, are presented.
Published online: 10 December 2014
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https://doi.org/10.1075/z.189.18ode
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