IngentaConnect An iota of difference: Attitudes to

Abstract:

The factors controlling synizesis and hiatus in Modern Greek have long been debated. Some accounts, e.g., Kazazis (1968, 1992), suggest that a speaker's knowledge of a word's origin (or alternatively, its appropriateness in a formal setting) plays a role. Other accounts, e.g., Nyman (1981), discount this factor. Petrounias (1987) cites word frequency as a factor, claiming that “rarer words follow [the synizesis rule] less frequently” especially if the words seem more formal. <br /> To test the influence of frequency and perceived formality of {-ια} words on their pronunciation, two experiments were conducted, in which ten native speakers of Modern Greek heard 40 words pronounced with hiatus (e.g., σχέδια /sxeðia/ “plans”) and synizesis (e.g., πόδια /poðja/ “feet”). They rated these words on (1) word familiarity, (2) appropriateness of the word in informal conversation, and (3) appropriateness of the word in formal proceedings. In the first experiment, they heard the canonical pronunciations of each word. In the second they also heard non-canonical pronunciations, e.g., [sxe.ðja] and [po.ði.a]. In a third experiment, speakers produced the words in question in a sentence-reading task. The results of these experiments suggest that speakers still have an awareness of the connection between hiatus and formality (contra Nyman 1981), and that this awareness may play a role in favoring hiatus not predicted by declensional class for less frequent items, consistent with Petrounias' (1987) predictions.

Keywords: register; syllabification; synizesis; word frequency; yod, hiatus

Document Type: Research article

DOI: 10.1075/jgl.6.08ryt

Affiliations: 1: The Ohio State University

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