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Paper short abstract

This study will address the current linguistic debate on the relevance of the syllable as a universal unit. It will focus on the following research question: Can the phonology of Ryukyu languages be examined according to a syllabic or moraic model?

Paper long abstract

This study will attempt to address the current linguistic debate on the relevance of the syllable as a universal unit. It will focus on the following research question: Can the phonology of Ryukyu languages be examined according to a syllabic or moraic model?

On the theoretical level, this research will attempt to question the relevance of frames of reference and concepts from the Western linguistic tradition in the study of Japonic languages. The universal role of the syllable will be challenged by the study of the linguistic perspective endogenous to Japan (Labrune 2024: 40–42), whose native linguistic tradition attributes the role of the only relevant prosodic unit to the mora (Labrune 2012: 115).

This research reflects on the theory of the prosodic hierarchy proposed by McCarthy and Prince (1994: 320), which observes three levels between the prosodic word and the phoneme (foot, syllable, mora), and the resulting strict layer hypothesis (Nespor and Vogel 1986), which postulates a subordinate stratification between each level and the necessity of including all prosodic units in the phonological analysis of a target language. Drawing from the unresolved debate concerning the necessity of the syllable in the prosodic analysis of Japanese, this study aims at exploring whether, in the Ryukyu languages, the syllable and the mora maintain a subordinate relationship, an isomorphic relationship, or whether the mora represents a sufficient unit of analysis (cf. Macaulay 2024: 160–161). Therefore, this study aims at assessing the role of the mora and the syllable within the phonological analysis of Ryukyu languages and whether their coexistence is essential and justified.

On the empirical level, fieldwork among native speakers of Ryukyu languages will be conducted in order to confirm the presence of prosodic features, segment distribution rules and phonological or morphological rules that include or require a syllabic model (Pellard 2009: 72). By highlighting their internal diversity and typological interest, this study also intends to contribute to the documentation of Ryukyu languages, with the aim of supporting the preservation of the linguistic and cultural heritage of the Ryukyu Islands.