SOAS Research Online

Abstract

In order to focus attention on correspondences between the grammatical and phonological levels of linguistic statement, the results of the present phonological analysis are presented within a grammatical framework set up in Part I, (Chapters 1-3). Part Two of the thesis includes Chapters 4-6. Chapter 4 gives relevant details about the Texts presented at different levels; Orthography, Roman transliteration and Phonetic transcription. Chapters 5 and 6 give a detailed description in general phonetic terras of the pronunciation of Bengali verbal forms. - Chapter 5 deals with the vowel articulations and Chapter 6 the consonantal articulations. Part Three includes Chapters 7 - 11. In Chapter 7 the elements of the Phonological analysis in terms of Phonematic units and Prosodic elements are stated. Two morphological abstractions are made for all verbal forms: viz. Stem and Ending, At the Phonological level syllables are named stem syllables and ending syllables. The structures of Endings are discussed in Chapter 8. Chapter 9 gives details about the V elements of structure. Chapter 10 gives a Phonological account of vowel harmony. Chapter 11 deals with the C elements of Phonological structure in the stem. Appendix 1 provides a list of verbal forms in Colloquial Bengali. Appendix 2 providesS4iext of recordings of the verbal forms listed in the end of Chapter 1, and those used for the Palatograms and the Kymograms. Appendix 3 gives a brief Bibliography. In making the phonetic abstractions Palatograms and Kymograms are provided in the thesis. More Palatograms and Kymograms are provided in the appendix 4. A grid and the records are provided in the pocket at the back of the thesis.