Konkani (London Oriental and African Language Library)

387 Pages·2022·5.821 MB·

by  Ramesh Vaman Dhongde

   
London Oriental
and African
Language
Library

Ramesh Vaman Dhongde
Konkani
Konkani
London Oriental and African Language Library (LOALL)
issn 1382-3485
The LONDON ORIENTAL AND AFRICAN LANGUAGE LIBRARY aims to make available reliable
and up-to-date analyses of the grammatical structure of the major Oriental and African languages, in a
form readily accessible to the non-specialist. With this in mind, the language material in each volume is in
Roman script, and fully glossed and translated. The series is based at the School of Oriental and African
Studies of the University of London, Europe’s largest institution specializing in the study of the languages
and cultures of Africa and Asia. Each volume is written by an acknowledged expert in the field who has
carried out original research on the language and has first-hand knowledge of the area in which it is spoken.
For an overview of all books published in this series, please see benjamins.com/catalog/loall
Editors
Melanie Green
University of Sussex
Masayoshi Shibatani
Kobe University, Japan
Rice University, Houston, Texas, USA
Justin Watkins
School of Oriental and African Studies, London
Advisory Board
James Bynon James A. Matisoff
Bernard Comrie Christopher Shackle
Gilbert Lazard Andrew Simpson
Christian Lehmann
Volume 21
Konkani
by Ramesh Vaman Dhongde
Konkani
Ramesh Vaman Dhongde
Deccan College
John Benjamins Publishing Company
Amsterdam / Philadelphia
TM The paper used in this publication meets the minimum requirements of
8
the American National Standard for Information Sciences – Permanence
of Paper for Printed Library Materials, ansi z39.48-1984.
doi 10.1075/loall.21
Cataloging-in-Publication Data available from Library of Congress:
lccn 2022035896 (print) / 2022035897 (e-book)
isbn 978 90 272 1259 7 (Hb)
isbn 978 90 272 5732 1 (e-book)
© 2022 – John Benjamins B.V.
No part of this book may be reproduced in any form, by print, photoprint, microfilm, or any other
means, without written permission from the publisher.
John Benjamins Publishing Company · www.benjamins.com
To
Kashi (Wali)
We were to work together on Konkani.
I missed you a lot working single-handedly.

Table of contents
Acknowledgements xix
Foreword xxi
Abbreviations and symbols xxiii
List of figures xxv
List of tables xxvii
Chapter 1
Introduction 1
1.1 Introduction 1
1.2 Area and speakers 1
1.3 The dialect-language controversy 3
1.4 Linguistic characteristics 6
1.5 Language and literature 7
1.6 Konkani grammarians 9
1.7 Script 10
1.7.1 Devanagari vowel symbols 10
1.7.2 Devanagari consonant symbols 11
1.7.3 Romanization 12
Chapter 2
Sound system 13
2.1 Introduction 13
2.2 Vowels and diphthongs 13
2.2.1 Length 13
2.2.2 Variants 14
2.2.3 Distribution of vowels 15
2.2.4 Nasalization of vowels 16
2.3 Consonants 17
2.3.1 Stops 18
2.3.2 Affricates 20
2.3.3 Fricatives 21
2.3.4 Nasals 21
2.3.5 Laterals and flaps 22
2.3.6 Semi-vowels 22
viii Konkani
2.4 Phonotactics 24
2.4.1 Word-initial consonant-clusters 24
2.4.2 Word-medial geminates 26
2.4.3 Word-medial non-geminates 27
2.5 Syllable structure 29
2.6 Accent 29
2.7 Phonological processes 30
2.7.1 Assimilation 30
2.7.2 Palatalization 31
2.7.3 De-aspiration 32
2.7.4 Exchange of consonants 32
2.7.5 Metathesis 33
2.7.6 Devoicing 33
2.7.7 Voicing 34
2.7.8 Diphthongization 34
2.7.9 Vowel harmony 34
2.7.10 Vowel raising 35
2.7.11 Deletion and insertion 35
2.7.11.1 Gemination and degemination 35
2.7.11.2 Deletion of an unstressed vowel 36
2.7.11.3 Deletion of [h] 36
2.7.11.4 Deletion of word-initial [h] 37
2.7.11.5 Deletion of final consonant 37
2.7.11.6 Deletion of [b, d, ḍ, g] 37
2.7.11.7 Insertion of /y/ and /w/ 37
2.7.11.8 Deletion of the nasal consonant 38
2.7.12 Vowel to semi-vowel 39
2.8 Intonation 40
2.8.1 Rising 40
2.8.2 Falling 41
2.8.3 Level 41
2.8.4 Reversal in use 42
2.8.5 Drawled 43
2.8.6 Rise-fall 44
2.8.7 Fall-rise 45
2.8.8 Pause 45
Table of contents ix
Chapter 3
Noun and adjective 47
3.1 Introduction 47
3.2 Nouns 47
3.2.1 Gender 47
3.2.2 Number 50
3.2.3 Case 53
3.2.3.1 Nominative case 56
3.2.3.2 Oblique case 56
3.2.3.3 Vocative case 58
3.3 Pronouns 59
3.3.1 Personal pronouns 60
3.3.1.1 First person 60
3.3.1.2 Second person 61
3.3.1.3 Third person 61
3.3.2 Reflexive pronouns 62
3.3.3 Reciprocal pronoun 63
3.3.4 Demonstrative pronouns 65
3.3.5 Relative and correlative pronouns 65
3.3.6 Interrogative pronouns 66
3.3.7 Indefinite pronouns/quantifiers 68
3.4 Adjectives 69
3.4.1 Inflecting and non-inflecting 70
3.4.2 Adjective types 74
3.4.2.1 Qualifying adjectives 74
3.4.2.2 Quantifying adjectives 75
3.4.2.3 Determining adjectives 81
Chapter 4
Verb 83
4.1 Introduction 83
4.2 Copula 83
4.3 Simple verbs 84
4.3.1 Intransitives 84
4.3.2 Transitives 85
4.3.3 Derived transitives/causatives 86
4.3.4 Dative verbs 86
4.3.5 Impersonal verbs 87