ABSTRACT
Questionable segments and minimal pairs. Faraclas et al. (1984) list /kw/, /gw/ and / / as phonemes, but since clusters such as /sw/, /wj/ and /fj/ exist (see 3.2) these are perhaps best analysed as clusters as well. Some sets of minimal pairs of words which provide evidence for the phonemic status of the consonant sounds in the preceding table are listed here:
(1099) sets of minimal pairs showing consonant phonemes /paj/ pay ‘pie’ /bit/ bit ‘beat’ /baj/ bay ‘buy’ /fit/ fit ‘be able’ /taj/ tay ‘tie’ /mit/ mit ‘meat’ /daj/ day ‘die’ /tit/ tit ‘tooth’ /kaj/ kay exclamation /′it/ shit ‘defecate’
/gaj/ gay ‘dandy’ /hit/ hit ‘heat’ /t′aj/ chay exclamation /wìt/ wìt ‘with’ /waj/ way ‘why’ /laj/ lay ‘lie’ /lajt/ layt ‘light’
/rajt/ rayt ‘write’ /pik/ pik ‘pick’ /najt/ nayt ‘night’ /pig/ pig ‘pig’ /wajt/ wayt ‘white’ /pil/ pil ‘peel’ /fajt/ fayt ‘fight’ /pin/ pin ‘pin’ /bajt/ bayt ‘bite’ /pis/ pis ‘urinate’
/t k/ tok ‘talk’ /t t′/ toch ‘touch’ /t n/ tong ‘tongue’ /t′ t′/ choch ‘church’ /t n/ ton ‘turn’ /d3 d3/ joj ‘type of cloth’
/kpakpa/ kpakpa ideophone /it′/ ich ‘each’ /àgbà/ àgbà ‘lady’ /iz/ iz ‘be easy’ /àwa/ àwa ‘our’
(1100) the vocalic system of Nigerian Pidgin (orthographic symbols in parentheses, where these differ from the IPA symbols)
Front/ unrounded Central Back/ rounded High /i/ /u/ High-mid /e/ /N/ (m, n) (syllabic
nasal) /o/
Low-mid /′ / (e) / / (o) Low /a/
Questionable segments and minimal pairs. There is some question as to whether vowel nasalization is significant in Nigerian Pidgin. For midwestern dialects, Elugbe and Omamor (ms. 88-90) agree with Oyebade (1983) that ‘a feature of significant vowel nasalization’ exists, and propose an underlying segment / N/ to follow nasalized vowels. In the eastern dialects which supplied the data on which this work is based, however, all vowel nasalization can be traced to adjacent nasal consonants which actually occur at the surface. Some sets of minimal pairs of words which provide evidence for the phonemic status of the vowel sounds in the preceding table are listed here:
(1101) Sets of minimal pairs showing vowel phonemes: /sa/ sa ‘sir’ /pat/ pat ‘part’ /se/ se ‘say’ /p t/ pot ‘pot’ /si/ si ‘see /put/ put ‘put’ /so/ so ‘sew’
The orthographic system used in this work to represent the distinctive sounds of Nigerian Pidgin is that recommended by Faraclas et al. (1984):
(1102) Orthographic equivalents of the distinctive sounds of Nigerian Pidgin:
/a/ /b/ /t′/ /d/ /e/ /′ / /f/ /g/ /gb/ /h/ /i/ /d / /k/ /kp/ /l/
a
b ch d e
e
f g gb h i j k kp l
/m/ /n/ /′ / /o/ / / /p/ /r/ /s/ /′/ /t/ /u/ /v/ /w/ /j/ /z/
m
n
ng o
o
P r
s
sh t u
v
w
y z
3.1.2 Distinctive segments and their allophones
All of the distinctive sounds of Nigerian Pidgin involve the use of a pulmonic egressive air stream mechanism and no special glottal closure is employed besides the closure utilized for ordinary voicing.
