ВОКАЛИ СРЕДЊЕГ РЕДА У СИРИНИЋКОМ Г
MID VOWELS IN THE VERNACULAR OF SIRINIĆ

Summary/Abstract: In the Sirinić vernacular, which is spoken in northern parts of Šara Mountain, mid vowels have different realizations depending on whether they are stressed or not. If they are not stressed, these sounds have the same values as in other Štokavian dialects, while they are prone to closing, and/or opening/diphtongization if stressed, and in certain positions they can be substituted by their vertical counterparts (e → i, o →u). The vowel /e/ tends to fluctuate in pronunciation. The closing of /е/,which turns it into the closed counterpart/^/is optional and isphonetically assimilated with the following /ј/ (стр^јћа, и св^ј ћа, у Бер^јце, да се гр^ј у, тuј уз^ј а). У делу лексема у овој позицији долази и до факултативне замене са /и/ (дiј е, нe се сiје, донiја). The rounding of /о/ which results in/ Y/ (мYј, кYј и) or its subsitution by /u/ (и жeна мuа, братuо дете, синuи) is attested in just a few instances, аndit exemplifies the tendency to eliminate о + vowel). These instances came through migrations from Western Macedonia. If not in the positions /е+ј/ and /о+v/ stressed mid vowels usually become more open with a diphtong sequence(на мј Eсто, кêт погрј Eши; наклaдеш’ у Mгањ, причaа ми у Mтац) or without it (у тoј врEме, ЦвEтко, да пометEмо; Mца га имeло Сiма, Mна ни спремaла, нe се рабMта). This opening is more prominent if the lexemes that contain these vowels bear the sentence focus (А морaло да се поштuје млoго бaба и дEда. И мi сипEмо у чoмку дeмузEмо, сипEмо вoду), which gives stylistic value to these allophones. Opening and diphtongization of stressed mid vowels in the Sirinić vernacular are most likely traces of pre-phonologization of quantity into quality after the stabilization of the penultimate rhythmic stress in this vernacular.

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