entire string. When this happens, the morphophonemic processes of spreading, reduction, assimilation, portmanteau and metathesis occur. Root words and their affixes always occur in speech as having
undergone these processes. However, there is contrast in Luang between separate words being joined into one rhythm segment and being left apart. Known information and mainline event information,
especially at peak points of the story, are said so rapidly that many words join into one rhythm segment. When information is new to the hearer or if it is brought into prominence the words are said more
slowly, and therefore do not join into one rhythm segment, but remain separate units.
The following morphophonemic processes are very similar, and in some cases identical, to those already listed in the first environment above. However, here they have their own unique set and order of
rules.
2.4.1 Spreading and reduction of high vowels word finally
In Luang, when two morphemes or words are joined into one rhythm segment, the first morphophonemic process to occur is spreading. However, spreading can only occur on words ending in high vowels where
the added morpheme does not begin with a consonant cluster and the first vowel in the added morpheme is not a high vowel. This environment can be described as VCV[+high]CV[-high]. When
the word ends in VV [+high], there is only spreading of the high vowel, but when the word ends in CV [+high], the high vowel spreads and then deletes.
ʔammai + la → [ʔammail
y
ә] ʔammailya ‘we come to’
rmai + pa → [r̩maip
y
ә] rmaipya
‘they come for’ au + maka [aum
w
ak ә]
aumwaka ‘wood that’
rkeni + pa → [r̩kenp
y
ә] rkenpya
‘they put it for’ rmati + de
→ [r̩matd
y
e] rmatdye
‘when they died’ nhoru + wa [nhor
w
u ә]
nhorwua ‘already finished’
After the high vowel spreads it assimilates to the preceding consonant. pwou + de
→ [pwoud
y
e] pwoudye
‘that sail boat’ woru + la
→ [worl
y
ә] worlya
‘two in’ rule:
VV[+High] CV [-high]__ → _VGCy,w_;
VCV[+High] CV [-high]__ → _CØCy,w_
If the high vowels are preceded by a consonant cluster CCV+High then other morphophonemic processes are employed see §2.4.2 below.
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A second form of spreading and reduction occurs when the possessive suffix –ni is added to roots ending with the final high vowel u. In these cases the u spreads and then replaces the final i. Then
the original u deletes see reduction §2.4.2.
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Spreading does not occur with the final high vowel i if followed by the enclitic Ɂa. In this case the i assumes
its corresponding glide quality y and the initial glottal stop deletes. If the final high vowel is u it will result in a portmanteau phone see §2.4.5 below. Other exceptions with the glottals
Ɂ and h can be seen in §2.4.3 below. keni + -
Ɂa → [keɲә] kenya
‘put it’ teti + -
Ɂa → [tetyә] tetya
‘cut it’ rule: _Ci +
Ɂ → _Cya
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When a verb ending in the high vowel u and preceded by a consonant cluster takes an object marker clitic, the final u becomes i preceding the object marker -a. This seems to be functioning oppositely to the general rules
of high vowels in Luang. nokru + -a = nokria
‘head for object’, remnu + -a = remnia
‘drink it’ lernu + -a = lernia
‘let it down’
kotu + -ni → kotunu →
kotnu ‘his penis’
roku + -ni → rokunu →
roknu ‘his cigarette’
wetu + -ni → wetunu →
wetnu ‘his shin bone’
rule: __Cu + -ni → n u C__
2.4.2 Reduction of word final vowels
