Some lengthened consonants are found in more word positions in certain dialects. In these dialects, it may be preferable to analyze lengthened consonants as single-unit syllable onsets .C: so that they fit
into word-initial CV and CVC syllable types. Word-initial ll occurs in the word ll ɛ́wá ‘gazelle type’ in
Lomiaha, Lohutok and Lolongo. Word-initial tt occurs in the word ttim ‘bush, wilderness’ in Lohutok and Lolongo. Word-medial mm occurs in the word
immadɔk ‘gum’ in Lomiaha, Lohutok and Lolongo. 51
Dorik Ngotira
Lomiaha Lohutok
Lolongo
l lɛymɛ
lɛ́ymɛ̀ lɛmyɛ
lɛmyɛ lɛmɛ
‘lion’ l ~ ll
lɛwa lɛ́wá
llɛywa llɛywa
llɛwa ‘gazelle type’
t taɟi
táɟí taɟi
taɟi taɟi
‘heart’ t ~ tt
tim tìm
tim ttim
ttim ‘bush, wilderness’
m mana
máná mana
mana mana
‘farm’ hima
hímá hima
hima hima
‘fire’ m ~ mm
madɔk màdɔ̂k immadɔk
immadɔk immadɔk
‘gum’
2.3 Vowel alternations among dialects
Five Lopit dialects have the same vowel distribution as 9, and in addition, Lomiaha, Lohutok and Lolongo have word-initial
ɔ as in ɔyiri ‘spirit’. Most vowel phonemes are found in five dialects of the same word. However in some words, the
vowel alternations seen in 52 occur among the dialects. And which dialect has which vowel, varies from word to word.
52 Dorik
Ngotira Lomiaha
Lohutok Lolongo
ɛ bɛl
bɛ́l bɛl
bɛl bɛl
‘stripe, spot’ ɔ
wɔr wɔ́r
wɔr wɔr
wɔr ‘stream, river’
a haŋ
hàŋ haŋ
haŋ haŋ
‘home, village’ u
huk hùk
huk huk
huk ‘charcoal pl’
i hit
hìt hit
hit hit
‘excrement pl’ y
ɛ hary
ɛ hàry
ɛ̂ hary
ɛ hary
ɛ hary
ɛ ‘night’
ya ifya
ifya ifya
ifya ifya
‘ask’ ɔy
rɔrɔy rɔ́rɔ́y
rɔrɔy rɔrɔy
rɔrɔy ‘thing, issue’
ɛ ~ ɔ ɛfir
ɛ̀fír ɔfir
ɔfir ɔfir
‘fat adj’ dɔmi
dɛ́mí dɛmi
dɛmi dɛmi
‘knife’ ɔ ~ a
lɔhɔlay lahalay
lahalay ahalay
ɔhɔlɛ ‘pole’
halɔha-ni halɔhɔ-ni halaha-ni halaha-ni halɔhɔ-ni ‘trapper’ ilɔma
ilɔma ilama
ilama ilama
‘distance’ ɛ ~ a
ihɛrɛk ikarrak
ikarrak ikarrak
ikarrak ‘water turtle’
hayy ɔhɔni hayyɔhɔni hɛyyɔhɔni hɛyyɔhɔni hɛyyɔhɔni ‘shepherd’
u ~ i hiwaru
hiwaru huwaru
huwaru huwaru
‘cat general’ hunɔm
húnɔ́m hinɔm
hinɔm hinɔm
‘cave’ huhɔy
hikwɔy huhwɛ
huhɛ huhɛ
‘charcoal’ hicu
husuŋ husuŋ
husuŋ hisuŋ
‘cows’ ɛ ~ i
pir pír
pɛr pɛr
pɛr ‘bicycle’
u ~ ɔ cumay
sɔ̀mây sɔmay
sɔmay sɔmay
‘fat n’ a ~ i
hanaci hanasi
hanasɛ inasi
hinasi ‘sister’
y ɛ ~ ya hafyɛlay
hafyalay hafyalay
hafyalay hafyalay
‘claw’ iry
ɛtak iry
ɛtak iryatak
iryatak iryatak
‘tie around neck’ ɔy ~ ɛy hɔytɔy
hɔytɔ hɔytɛ
hɔytɛ hɛytɔ
‘bone’
In some words, a vowel without an adjacent semivowel alternates with a vowel and adjacent semivowel among the dialects. And which dialect has which vowel and semivowel, varies from word to
word. 53
Dorik Ngotira
Lomiaha Lohutok
Lolongo
y ɔ
hayy ɔhɔ-ni
hayy ɔhɔ-ni
hɛyyɔhɔ-ni hɛyyɔhɔ-ni
hɛyyɔhɔ-ni ‘shepherd’
wɔ mɔrwɔ
mɔrwɔ mɔrwɔ
mɔrwɔ mɔrwɔ
‘stone’ ay
cumay sɔ̀mây
sɔmay sɔmay
sɔmay ‘fat’
ɛ ~ yɔ dɛrɔ
dɛrɔ dy
ɔrɔ dy
ɔrɔ dy
ɔrɔti ‘rats’
ɛ ~ yɛ kɛr
ky ɛr
kɛr kɛr
kɛr ‘sheep’
irɛfit irɛfit
ily ɛfit
ily ɛfit
ɔlɛfit ‘container’
ɛ ~ ya imɛtak
imɛtak imyatak
imyatak imyatak
‘increase, become’
inɛfɔ inɛfa
inɛfu inyafa
inyafa ‘catch’
lɔrɛwa lɛrɛwa
lɔlyawa lɔlyawa
ɔlɛwa ‘husband’
ɔ ~ wɔ idɔŋɔ idɔŋɔ
idwɔŋɔ idwɔŋɔ
idwɔŋɔ ‘appear’
hɔmwɔŋ hɔ̀mwɔ̀ŋ
hɔmɔm hɔmɔm
hɔmɔm ‘face, forehead’
ɛ ~ ɛy lɛymɛ
lɛ́ymɛ̀ lɛmyɛ
lɛmyɛ lɛmɛ
‘lion’ lɛwa
lɛ́wá llɛywa
llɛywa llɛwa
‘gazelle type’ lɛyfɔri
lɛyfɔri lɛyfɔri
lɛyfɔri ɛfɔri
‘kitchen’ ɔ ~ ɔy
mɔytɛ mɔytɛ
mɔtyɛ mɔtyɛ
mɔtɛ ‘morning’
a ~ ay fayti
fày tî
fati fati
fati ‘ebony tree’
garay gàráy
garay garay
igara ‘dry grassland’
a ~ aw hawwɛ
hàwwɛ̀ hawwɛ
hawwɛ hawɔ
‘arrow’ In a few other words, there are vowel-consonant alternations among the dialects.
54 Dorik
Ngotira Lomiaha
Lohutok Lolongo
wa mɔrwari mɔrwari
mɔrwari mɔrwari mɔrwari
‘rocky place’ wa ~ wa
kwan kwàn
wan wan
hwan ‘body’
wa ~ usa ibwari
ibwari ibusari
ibusari oburusari
‘escape’ ca ~ tya
icaha icaha
ityaha ityaha
ityara ‘begin’
cɔw ~ sw hɔcɔwan haswani haswani
haswani haswani
‘buffalo’ llu ~ lyu
tɛ-lyu tɛ-lyu
tɔ-llu tɔ-llu
tɔ-llu ‘jumb down’
sːi ~ syɔ ma-
cɔhi may-sy
ɔk
a
ma- sːik
ma- sːik
ma- sːik
‘places’
a
In Ngotira, ‘places’ can be either may-sihi or may-sy ɔk.
2.4 Dialect comparison of syllable structure