Table Of ContentJANUA LINGUARUM
STUDIA MEMORIAE
NICOLAI VAN WIJK DEDICATA
edenda curat
C. H. VAN SCHOONEVELD
Indiana University
Series Practica 121
CYPRIOT GREEK
ITS
PHONOLOGY AND INFLECTIONS
by
BRIAN NEWTON
1972
MOUTON
THE HAGUE · PARIS
© Copyright 1972 in The Netherlands.
Mouton & Co. N.V., Publishers, The Hague.
No part of this book may be translated or reproduced in any form, by print, photoprint, microfilm,
or any other means, without written permission from the publishers.
LIBRARY OF CONGRESS CATALOG CARD NUMBER : 72-88202
Printed in Belgium by Nici Printers, Ghent
To N.N.
PREFACE
The aim of this study is to present an overall sketch of the phonology and inflectional
morphology of the dialects of Greek currently spoken in Cyprus. The original inten-
tion was to operate within an essentially 'post-Bloomfieldian' framework in the belief
that a 'taxonomic' exposition of the main facts, while incidentally providing con-
venient fodder for theorists, would equip the less linguistically oriented hellenist
with some sorely needed information. However, as the net was cast increasingly
wider, and first the various peripheral dialects of Cypriot Greek, then its standardizing
elements were considered, the inadequacies of such a framework became even more
obvious than they are in a description of a unitary language: the upshot is that while
the first chapter on phonology, the paradigm presentations of Chapters 2 and 3,
and the transcriptions of Chapter 7 are based on a traditional type of phonemic
analysis, the morphophonemic sections and the inter-dialectal comparisons of
Chapters 4 and 5 presuppose the existence of underlying phonological forms from
which both standard and dialectal overt manifestations may be derived by the appli-
cation of a set of ordered rules. This is not, however, to say that the present study
purports to present a complete generative grammar, nor is it likely that such an enter-
prise could be supported by the available data: such generative concepts as are
exploited represent no more than suggestions as to how such an approach to the
data might be made. Distinctive features as such are not introduced until the 'rule
restatement' of 6.4, and in general the presentation is informal (syncopated, to borrow
a term from the history of algebra, rather than rhetorical, but certainly not symbolic).
Although cynics might argue that the job of description is impeded rather than
facilitated by knowledge extending beyond the basic essentials, I wish to express my
painful awareness of serious gaps in my knowledge of Cypriot Greek; in particular
much more extensive phonetic observations will have to be made, especially in western
Cyprus, before the dialect geography of Cypriot Greek can be put on a basis less
tentative than the one offered in Chapter 4; my excuse for presenting this study at all
is that at the moment little else exists and that the rapid diffusion of Standard
Demotic, evident in the remotest villages of the island, will make investigations
such as the present one increasingly difficult. Existing works on Cypriot Greek are
8 PREFACE
few and for the most part devoted to explaining to Greeks the idiosyncratic charac-
teristics of Cypriot as a whole. Of the works listed in the bibliography the most
reliable information is probably still to be found in the various articles published by
Menardos between 1896 and 1925; later publications tend to repeat him almost
slavishly.
My interest in Cypriot Greek, and indeed in Modern Greek generally, stems from
three years' residence in Nicosia (1952-55), and my primary acknowledgement must
be to my innumerable acquaintances in the island's villages for the unfailing charm,
hospitality and, as informants, patience shown to me then, and during 1963, when the
bulk of the data used in this study was collected. I am particularly grateful to my
wife, Niki Newton, formerly of Nicosia, for providing an untiring and portable source
of information, and to her mother, Alexandra Papalou. Useful information was also
provided in Canada by Tasoulla Berggren, formerly of Zodhia.
I am grateful to Wyn Roberts, of Simon Fraser University, for reading the work
in manuscript and for making valuable comments. The fieldwork of 1963 was made
possible by a grant of sabbatical leave from the University of Cape Town and was
supported in part by the South African Council for Social Research. I would like to
thank the publishers of Lingua for allowing me to reproduce portions of my article,
"The Phonology of Cypriot Greek", in Chapter 1.
This book has been published with the help of a grant from the Humanities
Research Council of Canada, using funds provided by the Canada Council.
The symbols used are based on North American usage. Vertical strokes enclose
underlying phonological forms, slanting ones phonemic transcriptions (see § 2.2.0).
Unenclosed items (in lists, etc.) are to be taken as phonemically transcribed. Readers
will find that the rule summary given on pp. 119-21 will serve as a convenient index
to the phonological framework of the book.
Brian Newton
Simon Fraser University
CONTENTS
PREFACE 7
TABLES 15
SYMBOLS AND ABBREVIATIONS 17
1. SURFACE PHONOLOGY 19
1.0. Introduction 19
1.1. The Segmental Phonemes 22
1.1.0. Introductory 22
1.1.1. Phonemic Inventory 22
1.1.2. Phonetic Description 22
1.1.3. Problems in Contrast Establishment 24
1.1.3.0. /c, % k/ 24
1.1.3.1. /Θ, x/ 26
1.1.3.2. /x, s/ 26
1.1.3.3. /i, y 1 26
1.1.3.4. Voicing Neutralization in Stops 27
1.2. Distribution of Segmental Phonemes 28
1.2.0. Single Consonants 28
1.2.1. Heterogeneous Two-Consonant Clusters 28
1.2.2. Geminate Clusters 32
1.2.2. 0 33
1.2.2. 1 34
1.2.2. 2 34
1.2.2. 3 34
1.2.3. Three-Consonant Clusters 35
1.2.4. Vowels 37
1.3. Suprasegmentale 37
1.3.0. Stress 38
1.3.0.0. Vowel Length 39
