Yawelmani (also Yowlumni) is an extinct variety of the Valley Yokuts language (of the Yokutsan family) formerly spoken in southern California by the Yawelmani people. An extinct language (also called a dead language) is a language which no longer has any native speakers. ... A variety of a language is a form that differs from other forms of the language systematically and coherently. ... Yokutsan (also Yokuts) is a family of languages spoken in the interior of southern California in and around the San Joaquin valley. ... Official language(s) English Capital Sacramento Largest city Los Angeles Area  - Total  - Width  - Length  - % water  - Latitude  - Longitude Ranked 3rd 410,000 km² 402. ... Yawelmani (also Yowlumni) is an extinct variety of the Valley Yokuts language (of the Yokutsan family) formerly spoken in southern California by the Yawelmani people. ...

Sounds

Consonants

Vowels

Yawelmani has 8 vowels: In phonetics, a vowel is a sound in spoken language that is characterized by an open configuration of the vocal tract so that there is no build-up of air pressure above the glottis. ...

• There are 4 short-long vowel pairs.
• Short high vowels may become more centralized in fast speech: /i/ → [ɪ], /u/ → [ʊ].
• Long high vowels are almost always lower than their short counterparts: /iː/ → [ɛː], /uː/ → [ɔː].
• All long vowels may be shortened by a phonological process. Thus, a single long vowel has two different phonetic realizations:
  • /iː/ → [ɛ, ɛː],
  • /aː/ → [a, aː],
  • /uː/ → [ɔ, ɔː],
  • /ɔː/ → [ɔ, ɔː].
• Note that the high long vowel /uː/ is usually pronounced the same as /ɔ/ and /ɔː/.

As can be seen, Yawelmani vowels have a number of different realizations which are summarized below: In phonetics, vowel roundedness refers to the amount of rounding in the lips during the articulation of a vowel. ... In phonetics, vowel roundedness refers to the amount of rounding in the lips during the articulation of a vowel. ... In linguistics, vowel length is the perceived duration of a vowel sound. ... In linguistics, vowel length is the perceived duration of a vowel sound. ... In linguistics, vowel length is the perceived duration of a vowel sound. ... In linguistics, vowel length is the perceived duration of a vowel sound. ... A close vowel is a type of vowel sound used in many spoken languages. ... Centralization in phonetics may refer to central vowels central or medial consonants This is a disambiguation page — a navigational aid which lists other pages that might otherwise share the same title. ... Phonology (Greek phone = voice/sound and logos = word/speech), is a subfield of linguistics closely associated with phonetics. ... Phonetics (from the Greek word φωνή, phone = sound/voice) is the study of sounds (voice). ...

A front vowel is a type of vowel sound used in some spoken languages. ... A back vowel is a type of vowel sound used in some spoken languages. ... In linguistics, vowel length is the perceived duration of a vowel sound. ... In linguistics, vowel length is the perceived duration of a vowel sound. ... In linguistics, vowel length is the perceived duration of a vowel sound. ... In linguistics, vowel length is the perceived duration of a vowel sound. ... A close vowel is a type of vowel sound used in many spoken languages. ... A mid vowel is a vowel sound used in some spoken languages. ... An open vowel is a vowel sound of a type used in most spoken languages. ...

Syllable & phonotactics

The Yawelmani syllables can be either a consonant-vowel sequence (CV), such as deeyi- 'lead', or a consonant-vowel-consonant sequence (CVC), such as xata- 'eat'. Thus the generalized syllable is the following: Phonotactics (in Greek phone = voice and tactic = course) is a branch of phonology that deals with restrictions in a language on the permissible combinations of phonemes. ... This article discusses the unit of speech. ...

CV(C)

Word roots are bisyllabic and have either one of two shapes:

• CV.CV
• CV.CVC

Phonological processes

vowel shortening

When long vowels are in closed syllables, they are shortened: This article discusses the unit of speech. ...

/p’a.xaː.t’it/	→	[p’axaːt’it]	p̓axaat̕it	'mourn (passive aorist)'	(/aː/ remains long)
/p’a.xaːt’.hin/	→	[p’axat’hin]	p̓axat̕hin	'mourn (aorist)'	(/aː/ is shortened)
/ts’u.juː.hun/	→	[ts’ujɔːhun]	c̓uyoohun	'urinate (aorist)'	(/uː/ remains long)
/ts’u.juːt/	→	[ts’ujɔt]	c̓uyot	'urinate (passive aorist)'	(/uː/ is shortened)

Passive has several meanings: In grammar it describes a grammatical voice. ... Aorist (from Greek αοριστος, indefinite) is a term used in certain Indo-European languages to refer to a particular grammatical tense and/or aspect. ...

vowel harmony

Yamelmani has suffixes that contain either an underspecified high vowel /I/ or an underspecified non-high vowel /A/. Vowel harmony (also metaphony) is a type of long-distance assimilatory phonological process involving vowels. ... Suffix has meanings in linguistics, nomenclature and computer science. ... In human language, a phoneme is a set of phones (speech sounds or sign elements) that are cognitively equivalent. ...

• Underspecified /I/ will appear as /u/ following the high rounded vowel /u/ and as /i/ following all other vowels /i, a, ɔ/:

/-hIn/			-hun/-hin	(aorist suffix)
/muʈhIn/	→	[muʈhun]	muṭhun	'swear (aorist)'
/ɡij’hIn/	→	[ɡij’hin]	giy̓hin	'touch (aorist)'
/ɡɔphIn/	→	[ɡɔphin]	gophin	'take care of infant (aorist)'
/xathIn/	→	[xathin]	xathin	'eat (aorist)'

• Underspecified /A/ will appear as /ɔ/ following the non-high rounded vowel /ɔ/ and as /a/ following all other vowels /i, u, a/:

/-tAw/			-tow/-taw	(nondirective gerundial suffix)
/ɡɔptAw/	→	[ɡɔptɔw]	goptow	'take care of infant (nondir. ger.)'
/ɡij’tAw/	→	[ɡij’taw]	giy̓taw	'touch (nondir. ger.)'
/muʈtAw/	→	[muʈtaw]	muṭtaw	'swear (nondir. ger.)'
/xattAw/	→	[xatːaw]	xattaw	'eat (nondir. ger.)'

vowel epenthesis

In poetry and phonetics, epenthesis (Greek epi, on × en, in + thesis, putting) is the insertion of a phoneme or syllable into a word, usually to facilitate pronunciation. ...

Grammar

• ablaut
• suffix

deeyi 'to lead'

deeyen 'he will lead'

deyhin 'he led'

diyhatinhin 'he wanted to lead'

diyee’iy 'place where one got the lead' (subjective)

diyaa’an 'he is leading'

deydiyen 'he will lead repeatedly'

diyidyiisaahin ’anam 'they led each other repeatedly'

diyeediyic’ 'one who is leading repeatedly' (subjective)

deyday 'act of leading repeatedly' (subjective)

• reduplication

’ɔɔṭ’hun 'he stole' - ’ɔɔṭ’uṭ’hun 'he stole often'

’ɔɔṭ’al 'he might steal' - ’ɔɔṭ’uṭ’al 'he might steal often'

In linguistics, the term ablaut (from German ab- in the sense down, reducing + Laut sound) designates a system of vowel gradations in Proto-Indo-European and its far-reaching consequences in all of the modern Indo-European languages. ... Suffix has meanings in linguistics, nomenclature and computer science. ... Reduplication, in linguistics, is a morphological process in which the root or stem of a word, or only part of it, is repeated. ...

Bibliography

• Archangeli, Diana B. (1985). Extrametricality in Yawelmani. Linguistic review, 4 (2), 101-120.
• Archangeli, Diana B. (1986). Yokuts harmony: Evidence for coplanar representation in nonlinear phonology. Linguistic inquiry, 16, 335-372.
• Archangeli, Diana B. (1988). Underspecification in Yawelmani phonology and morphology. Outstanding dissertations in linguistics. New York: Garland Pub. ISBN 0-8240-5175-0. (Revision of 1984 doctoral dissertation, Massachusetts Institute of Technology).
• Archangeli, Diana B. (1991). Syllabification and prosodic templates in Yawelmani. Natural Language and Linguistic Theory, 9, 231-283.
• Gamble, Geoffrey. (1975). Consonant symbolism in Yokuts. International Journal of American Linguistics, 41, 306-309.
• Harris, Zellig. (1944). Yokuts structure and Newman's grammar. International Journal of American Linguistics, 10, 196-211.
• Hockett, Charles. (1967). The Yawelmani basic verb. Language, 26, 278-282.
• Hockett, Charles. (1973). Yokuts as a testing ground for linguistic methods. International Journal of American Linguistics, 39, 63-79.
• Hymes, Dell H. (1964). Language in culture and society: A reader in linguistics and anthropology. New York: Harper & Row.
• Kuroda, S.-Y. (1967). Yawelmani phonology. Special technical report (No. 15); M.I.T. research monograph series (No. 43). Cambridge, MA: M.I.T. Press, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Research Laboratory of Electronics.
• Kroeber, Alfred L. (1906). The Yokuts and Yuki languages. In B. Laufer & H. A. Andrews (Eds.), Boas anniversary volume (pp. 64-79). New York: G.E. Stechert & Co. (Reprinted as separate book 1906).
• Kroeber, Alfred L. (1906). The Yokuts and Yuki languages. New York: Stechert. (Originally in Laufer & Andrews 1906).
• Kroeber, Alfred L. (1907). The Yokuts language of south central California. University of California publications in American archaeology and ethnology (Vol. 2, pp. 165-377).
• Laufer, Berthold,; & Andrews, H. A. (Eds.). (1906). Boas anniversary volume: Anthropological papers written in honor of Franz Boas. New York: G.E. Stechert & Co.
• Newman, Stanley S. (1932). The Yawelmani dialect of Yokuts. International Journal of American Linguistics, 7, 85-89.
• Newman, Stanley S. (1940). Linguistic aspects of Yokuts style. Anthropological Record, 5 (1), 4-15. (Reprinted in Hymes 1964).
• Newman, Stanley S. (1944). Yokuts language of California. Viking Fund publications in anthropology (No. 2). New York: Viking Fund. (Reprinted 1963 & 1968, New York: Johnson Reprint Corp.).
• Newman, Stanley S. (1946). The Yawelmani dialect of Yokuts. In C. Osgood & H. Hoijer (Eds.), Linguistic structures of native America (pp. 222-248). New York: The Viking Fund.
• Newman, Stanley S. (1964). Linguistic aspects of Yokuts style. In D. H. Hymes, Language in culture and society. New York: Harper & Row. (Originally published as Newman 1940).
• Newman, Stanley S. (1966). Word classes in Yokuts. Lingua, 17, 182-199.
• Osgood, Cornelius; & Hoijer, Harry (Eds.). (1946). Linguistic structures of native America. Viking fund publications in anthropology (No. 6). New York: The Viking Fund. (Reprinted 1963, 1965, 1967, & 1971, New York: Johnson Reprint Corp.).
• Pullum, Geoffrey. (1973). Yokuts bibliography: An addendum. International Journal of American Linguistics, 39, 269-271.
• Steriade, Donca. (1986). Yokuts and the vowel plane. Linguistic inquiry, 17, 129-146.