2 - Segmental phonology

Summary

In chapters 2 and 3, I will address two major topics in Kham phonology: (1) the inventory of segmental phonemes with their major allophonic variants, and (2) tonal phenomena. In the first case I will address segmental phonology with only enough detail to settle on a reliable and working orthography for the remainder of the chapters. This will necessarily include some discussion of syllable structure as it relates to allophony and morphophonemics. In chapter 3, I will discuss Kham tonal phenomena within the larger framework of Himalayan and Southeast Asian tone systems. Kham tones appear to be unique in a number of areas, which, I suspect, will turn out to be more common than our current knowledge of Himalayan tone systems permits us to recognize. It is hoped that a fairly detailed treatment of Kham tone will be another step in helping define the features of a Himalayan tone typology.

Consonants

The consonantal inventory in Kham is simple, with twenty-two consonants occurring at only three points of articulation – bilabial, alveolar, and velar (ignoring the consonant /h/). Palatal consonants, including the affricates [t∫] and [dƷ], occur only as allophonic variants of the alveolar series. All consonants occur in the onset of a syllable, while a more restricted inventory occurs in the coda – little more than half the total, twelve consonants. Table 2 gives the full inventory of consonant phonemes in Takale Kham, using orthographic symbols that will be used throughout the rest of the book.