Kiowa-Tanoan: A Synchronic and Diachronic Study

This dissertation provides a comparative-historical analysis and reconstruction of the phonological system and of the pronominal system of Proto-Kiowa-Tanoan, the theoretized ancestor of a family of seven languages located in the Pueblo Southwest and Great Plains. The modern constituent members of the family are Kiowa, Rio Grande Tewa, Arizona Tewa, Picuris Northern Tiwa, Taos Northern Tiwa, Southern Tiwa, and Towa. The dissertation is divided into three parts, plus a concluding discussion. Part I is a thorough overview of the of the background of Kiowa-Tanoan language study. This includes a comprehensive review of the literature, published and unpublished, which describes the structures and functions of the languages as well as a grammatical overview of the family. The second part of this study follows up on Kenneth Hales (1962, 1967) groundbreaking establishment of some of the major sound correspondences and phonological reconstructions. The present research reconfirms many of his findings on consonants, adds a few more correspondences, and suggests revisions to some of Hale's reconstructions. In addition, the vowel system of the family is reconstructed, this dissertation suggesting that the modern vowel systems may have evolved from a much smaller vowel inventory than is found in the modern languages. The analysis and reconstruction points to intricate historical interrelations between vowels and adjacent consonants in the development of the modern languages from their common ancestor. Part III of the dissertation analyzes the complex system of pronominal indexation proclitics found in all languages of the family. These morphemes index from one to three core arguments, in 50- 90 synchronically portmanteau forms, organized into 6 or more paradigms. The paradigms show heavy influence from a person-animacy-topicality hierarchy often realized through alternations in grammatical voice. The dissertation proposes a reconstruction of the Proto-Kiowa-Tanoan pronominal indexation paradigms, building on the preceding phonological reconstruction. Finally, the conclusion in Part IV provides discussion of the potential internal structure of the language family. Possible family trees are considered on the basis of shared innovations in the phonology and morphology of the languages. This conclusion also points to future directions for the study of Kiowa-Tanoan languages.

Name thesis:degree_name

Linguistics

Level thesis:degree_level

Dissertation

Discipline thesis:degree_discipline

Department of Linguistics

Year

2014

Author dc:creator

• Sutton, Logan

Contributors dc:contributor

• Axelrod, Melissa
• Croft, William
• Maddieson, Ian
• Debenport, Erin
• Watkins, Laurel

• Kiowa-Tanoan
• Tewa
• Tiwa
• Towa
• Kiowa
• historical linguistics

Language dc:language

English

Repository record dc:identifier

https://digitalrepository.unm.edu/ling_etds/34

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:digitalrepository.unm.edu:ling_etds-1033