Segmental phonology of Migueleño Chiquitano

Abstract

The article contains a description of the segmental phonology of the Migueleño dialect of Chiquitano (Macro-Jê), a critically endangered variety spoken in San Miguel de Velasco (Santa Cruz, Bolivia). The phonology of this variety presents a number of processes, both lexical and postlexical, some of which have not been attested in other varieties of Chiquitano. I propose an inventory of 21 consonantal phonemes, including 7 segments whose phonological status is marginal: /tʲ c ̠ ɕ ʂ/ are demonstrably derived from underlying |t p/k x ɾ| by means of the morphophonological processes of palatalization and devoicing, /ɰ ŋ/ result from a morphophonological process of epenthesis, whereas /h/ is of low frequency and alternates with zero. As for the vowels, I propose twelve phonemes /a ɨ ɛ i o u ã ɨ̃ ɛ̃ ĩ õ ũ/,/, which may undergo devoicing in certain environments. Nasal vowels acquire a consonantal phase at surface unless they are adjacent to /ʔ/ or followed by /x/, except the tautosyllabic sequences /aɛ̃ oɛ̃/, which never gain a consonantal phase. In addition, I document a process that inserts the sequence [jo] after a word-final /i/.

Keywords
Chiquitano; Phonology; Palatalization; Vowel devoicing; Macro-Jê