The evolution of word prosody in the Papuan languages of Eastern Timor

Abstract

Word prosody and sentence-level intonation undergo complex interactions through time. In this study, I focus on the effects of intonation on the development of word prosody in two closely related Papuan languages, Makalero and Fataluku. Though both are very similar segmentally, Makalero’s prosodic system is based on trochaic stress, while Fataluku is characterized primarily by phrase-level intonational contours. On the basis of internal comparative evidence, I demonstrate that the trochaic stress system of Makalero is older, and that a series of well-motivated sound changes has led to a dissociation of stress and intonation in Fataluku. A disassociation between stress and intonation is typologically unexpected, and analysis of the historical development of Fataluku’s system sheds light on how such a dissociation may have taken place.