Answer to Question #210314 in English for YOLO

Question

1. How many consonants does Iaai have? (1 mark) 2. Compared with Proto-Oceanic, how different is the consonant inventory of Iaai? What do we learn about the evolution of Iaai consonants then? (2 marks) 3. To an Iaai speaker, does it make any difference if another speaker says [ɛ] and [ɛ:], [u] and [u:], [ɔ] and [ɔ:] etc.? Why? Justify your answer. 

Answer 1

1. How many consonants does Iaai have? (1 mark)

37 consonants

2.Compared with Proto-Oceanic, how different is the consonant inventory of Iaai? (2mks)

i)The morphology of Iaai retains important traces of ancient derivations by reduplication.

ii)Preaspiration or spirantization of the initial consonant.

iii)Mutation of the vowel of the root.

iv)Changes to the final consonant.

We therefore learn that Iaai distinguishes between determinate and indeterminate forms of the verb. the determinate verbs are used with specific objects, while the indeterminate with generic or incorporated objects.

3. To an Iaai speaker, does it make any difference if another speaker says [ɛ] and [ɛ:], [u] and [u:], [ɔ] and [ɔ:] etc.? Why? Justify your answer. 

It has a difference because the vowels have different distinction sounds, [ɛ] has high back rounded tense vowel, [u] has high front unrounded tense vowel, [ɔ] is open-mid back rounded vowel.