Nyelvtudományi Közlemények 103. kötet (2006)

Tanulmányok - Tamás Ildikó: The Lule Saami vocalism 7

marginal vowel of a word with an odd number of syllables, similarly to consonants at the boundary of the second and third syllables which are left out of grade alternation. Certain trisyllabic recent loan words contain a short foot instead of the expected long one, such that the normal foot is preceded by a degenerate foot (-), e.g., mi[n]uhtta 'minute' (- / - u). These words are suffixed (and participate in gradation) similarly to words with an even number of syllables. All in all, morphological and morphonological alternations always take place in the - и domain. Some Lule Saami words have exclusively front or exclusively back vowels, so in principle we could speak of words with front/back vowel harmony. But as most suffixes (both derivational and inflectional ones) have just one form,14 palatovelar harmony is not possible in Saami, and so originally palatal and velar words can become 'disharmonic' when suffixed. The vowel alternations and harmony types presented below all apply whithin the root itself in all cases, and do not extend to suffixes containing a vowel outside the - u domain. 4. Alternations of marginal vowels 4.1. Morphological alternations The alternations in marginal vowels occur both in open and closed (usually suffixed) syllables. The alternations occur in three root types, which are the following: -a, -e, -o. The types of marginal vowel alternations are: a ~ á, e ~ á, e ~ i,o ~ u. Observing the alternation types, it becomes obvious that mid vowels are the least stable and functionally the least loaded ones. The functional load of the sounds a/á, i and и is much heavier. -a -á -e -i -о -u -á SgNom. niejdda mánná goahte bassti biebbmo Máhttu dallá 'girl' 'child' 'tent' 'spoon' 'food' (male name) 'fire' Sglll. niejddaj mánnáj goahtáj basstij biebbmuj Máhttuj dälläj 14 Some case

endings in the Northern Saami dialect have two forms because of rhythmic grade alternation, thus their consonant represents a weak or strong grade, depending on whether they join an even or odd syllable. Cf. LpN guliide 'fish' CxPl.Ill vs.footnagiidda 'dog' CxPl.Ill.