Publication Date
Spring 2010
Degree Type
Thesis
Degree Name
Master of Arts (MA)
Department
Linguistics
Advisor
Daniel Silverman
Keywords
Lakher, Mara, morphosyntax, phonetics, phonology, Tibeto-Burman
Subject Areas
Language, Linguistics
Abstract
This thesis presents a linguistic analysis of the Mara language, a Tibeto-Burman language spoken in northwest Myanmar and in neighboring districts of India. Data has been gathered through interviews with a native speaker. The analysis includes a full phonetic segment inventory of the dialect and a phonological analysis of contrastive sounds and contextual variants. Sound files embedded in the document illustrate the phonetic system. Mara's distinctive phonetic features include the loss of word-final consonants, a set of voiceless sonorants, pre- and post- aspirated nasals, and lowered and unlowered vowel pairs. The morphosyntax of Mara pronominal words demonstrates a split-ergative case marking pattern. A deictic hierarchy of pronominal words accounts for variations in pronominal word presence and order.
Recommended Citation
Arden, Michelle, "A Phonetic, Phonological, and Morphosyntactic Analysis of the Mara Language" (2010). Master's Theses. 3744.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.31979/etd.v36r-dk3u
https://scholarworks.sjsu.edu/etd_theses/3744
