On the Phonemic Status of [i] and [j] in Russian

There is some inconclusive evidence that a 10-vowel phonemic system exists. This raises the question of the phonemic status of (j) & (i) in certain positions. Halle's objection to the autonomous phonemic level is based on the doubtful concept that "Once a phoneme, always a phoneme.&quo...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Russian linguistics 1975-03, Vol.2 (1/2), p.23-36
Main Author: DeArmond, Richard C.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Consonants
Palatal consonants
Phonemes
Phonemics
Phonetics
Phonology
Place names
Structural linguistics
Vowels
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Summary:There is some inconclusive evidence that a 10-vowel phonemic system exists. This raises the question of the phonemic status of (j) & (i) in certain positions. Halle's objection to the autonomous phonemic level is based on the doubtful concept that "Once a phoneme, always a phoneme." The problem arises in a 10-vowel system when (j) or (i) comes to the boundary of a stem & its inflectional suffix. It is hypothesized that, because the standard interpretation that palatalized consonants occur in word & root-final position, & at other postvocalic positions in foreign words, (j) must be distinctive in root-final position. However, when the "Once a phoneme" rule is abandoned, there is way of predicting that what is distinctive is 1 context will also be in another. (j) could be incorporated as a phoneme before vowel initial inflectional endings, & perhaps before other affixes, but not if no morpheme boundary occurs. There is no other evidence for or against this hypothesis. S. Karganovic
ISSN:0304-3487
1572-8714
DOI:10.1007/BF02754130