The (non)realization of lateral /l/ in the (southern) Tsakonian dialect: Two grammars?

Ioanna Kappa

University of Crete

This study examines the instances of realization and deletion of the lateral /l/ in the Tsakonian dialect, specifically in the southern one. In the literature it has been reported that in the dialect the lateral /l/ is deleted when a non-front vowel follows, i.e. /a/, /o/, /u/ (see Anagnostopoulos 1926, Pernot, 1934 and their relevant data below in [1]). The deletion of /l/ occurs in stressed/unstressed, word-initial/-medial syllables. In the case of [Obstruent + l] clusters, it is realized the rhotic [r] as the second member [2] (Κωστάκης 1999:34).

(1) Standard Modern Greek Tsakonian Gloss

láði áði olive oil, NEU.NOM.SG

éla éa come! IMP.SG

lóɣos óɣos speech, reason, MASC.NOM.SG

θélo > (θélu) > θéu (I) want

lalúsa aúa talking, PART.FEM.NOM.SG

(2) ɣlósa ɣrúsa language, FEM.NOM.SG

pláti práka back, FEM.NOM.SG

More recent Tsakonian data reveal the realization of /l/ in stressed/unstressed word-initial position [3] and in [Obstruent + l] clusters [4] (Χαραλαμπόπουλος, 1980: 45, 105).

(3) laðʝá < /laðiá/ laðía greasy, FEM.NOM.SG

láspi láʃpi mud, FEM.NOM.SG

lóŋgos < /lónkos/ lóŋgo forest, MASC.NOM.SG

(4) ɣlári ɣlári seagull, MASC.NOM.PL

plúsios plúsie rich, ADJ.MASC.NOM.SG

We claim that the non-realization of /l/ in the data in [1] (deletion of /l/ in all single onset positions) and in [2] (realization of [r] in complex onsets) can be attributed to a dissimilatory effect. Specifically, if we assume that laterals have both coronal and dorsal Place features, then the coronal laterals have a primary Coronal node and a Dorsalsecondary node (Walsh-Dickey, 1997) and the dissimilation has the following consequences:

(a) the delinking of the dorsal node in the environment of dorsal (back) vowels resulting in the deletion of the whole segment (single onset) in [1];

(b) in the complex onsets in [2], after the delinking of the dorsal node, the coronal one remains intact resulting in the realization of coronal liquid [r].

In the more recent data in [3, 4] it seems that a language change is in progress, maybe to the pressure of Standard Modern Greek, and the dissimilatory (dialectal) effect starts to subside firstly in perceptually strong positions, i.e. stressed syllables or word-initially. This suggest that currently two parallel grammars (G) are in use, namely the (still) dominant G₁ (data 1, 2) and the emerging (peripheral) G₂ (data 3, 4).

References

Anagnostopoulos, G. P. 1926. Tsakonische Grammatik. Berlin: Urania.

Kωστάκης, Θ. 1999. Γραμματική της Τσακωνικής διαλέκτου (περιφέρεια Λεωνιδίου — Πραστού). Χρονικά των Τσακώνων 15.

Pernot, H. 1934. Introduction à l'étude du dialecte Tsakonien. Paris: Les Belles Lettres.

Walsh-Dickey, L. 1997. The phonology of liquids. PhD. Dissertation. University of Massachusetts, Amherst.

Χαραλαμπόπουλος, Α. 1980. Φωνολογική Ανάλυση της Τσακώνικης Διαλέκτου. Αριστοτέλειο Πανεπιστήμιο Θεσσαλονίκης. Επιστημονική Επετηρίδα της Φιλοσοφικής Σχολής. Θεσσαλονίκη.