Nyelvtudományi Közlemények 103. kötet (2006)
Tanulmányok - Tamás Ildikó: The Lule Saami vocalism 7
and the long monophthongs with consonant clusters in grade II. The C-V "asymmetrical constellation" of grades II and I can be observed between central consonants and marginal vowels. In type III—II alternation, where central consonants and central vowels participate, the C-V "constellation" is seemingly symmetrical.24 'goes' Inf- VxSgl 'post' CxSgNom - SgG The first type has further phonological conditions (it involves short central monophthongs) and only applies to low vowels, just like in Northern Saami. The second, however, depends on consonant gradation only and concerns low and mid vowels; it cannot be detected in surrounding dialects. It has been mentioned previously that the vowels that precede consonants in the prolonged (III) grade have a shorter pronunciation than the ones that precede consonants in the strong (II) grade (Sammalahti 1971: 11, M. Korhonen 1971: 48). The quantity distinction between grades III and II means more than just a difference in duration, as there can also be differences in fundamental frequency and intensity.25 If the words above are transcribed phonetically, it can clearly be seen that gradation involves length (and, as can be proved instrumentally, also intensity) equalization between the first and the second syllables, e.g., grade III: Hcejjka [haejjka] or [hasja ka], grade II: Hejka [he:jkka]. The first-syllable diphthong (III) is pronounced shorter than the corresponding monophthong (II), 24 This symmetry, however (as I will prove later on) can only be interpreted theoretically (within a two-syllable metric unit) in connection with the joint appearance of type III-III and 11- II of quantity degrees, but within a syllable C-V length relations are asymmetrical. The consistence of C-V relationships was discovered by Zita McRobbie-Utasi, too, in the Koltta-Saami dialect. Moreover, Lakó mentions it in his chrestomathy; but since the dialects they have observed lack the related qualitative vowel alternation, they could not take note of it (McRobbie-Utasi 1999, Lakó 1986, 48-50). 25 According to Tuomas Magga's measurements, in a dialect of Northern Saami (the Kautokeino), diphthongs and monophthongs produce almost identical values with respect to average sound length, furthermore, the long monophthongs are pronounced longer in two specific cases than the diphthongs they alternate with: ie 16.1, ii 17.5, ea 18.6, e 18.1, oa 18.7, о 18.5, uo 16.1, « 17.2 (msec). Magga also states that the duration of the short monophthongs is about half of that of the long monophthongs (Magga 1984: 99, 100).
