Aspects of the phonology of Bogoŋ

Abdul-Latif, Issaka Razak (2025) Aspects of the phonology of Bogoŋ. Masters thesis, Memorial University of Newfoundland.

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Abstract

This thesis presents a discussion on the phonology of Bogoŋ, an endangered language spoken by the Cala people in Ghana, Togo, and Benin. Classified within the Eastern subgroup of Gurunsi languages under the Niger-Congo family, Bogoŋ is characterized by a unique phonemic inventory and a complex system of Advanced Tongue Root (ATR) harmony. The study utilizes data collected and stored on the Endangered Language Archive by Kleinewillinghöfer (2015) in the form of audio recordings, providing a descriptive framework that addresses the phonemic inventory, syllable structure, and various phonological processes observed in the language. This thesis observed ten vowels, nine of which are phonemic, while one ([ə]) is an allophone. Twenty consonant phonemes are also observed in Bogoŋ. In this thesis, it is also proposed that there are six main types of syllable structures in Bogoŋ. These structure types are CV/CVV, CVC, CCVC/CCV, VVC, V/VV and C. This thesis observed homorganic nasal assimilation, labialization/rounding, palatalization, aspiration, and ATR harmony as phonological processes in Bogoŋ. Central to the vowel system is the ATR feature, which is identified as both contrastive and phonologically conditioned. The thesis examines how vowel sounds are organized based on tongue root position, revealing a nine-vowel system that includes both [+ATR] and [-ATR] vowels. The research situates Bogoŋ within the broader typology of ATR harmony systems, drawing on existing literature to contextualize its findings. Significantly, I propose that the allomorphy involving [i]~[ɛ] in Bogoŋ suffixes is due to the strong relationship between the features [+ATR] and [+high]. [i] is the preferred [+ATR] vowel in this allomorphy instead of [e] because of the preference for [+ATR] vowels to be [+high].

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