Editing Yuchi language (section)

====Contractions====

One of the most significant aspects of Yuchi morphophonology is the prevalence of contractions. Contraction should not here be taken to mean only a shortening of words; rather, it is more useful to think of contraction as a deletion of sounds that in turn affects surrounding vowels.{{sfn|Linn|2001|p=58}}

What can be contracted is dependent upon two major factors, the sound which begins the contracted syllable, and the stress of the syllable. In order for a syllable to be contracted, it must begin with a [+sonorant] consonant, that is, a voiced sound with a relatively free passage of air. In Yuchi, this includes sounds such as {{IPA|/n/, /ˀn/, /w/, /ˀw/, /j/, /ˀj/}} (where {{IPA|/ˀ/}} indicates a glottalized sound),{{clarify|reason=why are these not listed among the consonants?|date=November 2011}} the fricative {{IPA|/ˀh/}},{{clarify|date=January 2012}} and {{IPA|/ʔ/}}. A syllable must also be unstressed in order to contract.{{sfn|Linn|2001|p=60}}

Contraction causes phonetic changes in the vowels directly preceding the deleted syllable. In order for Yuchi speakers to understand the grammatical features of the words being used in contracted forms, vowel features alternate to match the deleted sounds.{{sfn|Linn|2001|p=60}} So, for example, if the morpheme {{IPA|/ne/}} was contracted, the vowel preceding it would become nasalized to indicate that a nasal sound has been lost.

Contraction must necessarily come before the phonetic change in vowels. For example, consider the following word:{{sfn|Linn|2001|p=62}}

:{{IPA|[di ˀlɛ nɛp ʔá jɛ]}} – 'Did you look in the box?'

{{IPA|/nɛ/}} can contract here because it is an unstressed syllable beginning with a sonorant: {{IPA|[di ˀlɛ mp ʔá jɛ]}}. CCC clusters are relatively rare, occurring in only six variations as noted by Wolff,{{sfn|Wolff|1948|p=241}} four of them beginning with fricatives; such a construction as above would therefore likely be odd to speakers of Yuchi.

Contractions take on several forms and occur in many other environments. Those seeking additional information about the many kinds of contraction in Yuchi are advised to seek out Dr. Mary Linn's "A Grammar of Euchee."

A list of the most commonly contracted morphemes is below, along with their grammatical function.{{sfn|Linn|2001|p=59}}

* ne- : 2nd-person singular actor
* we-: 3rd-person non-Yuchi actor or patient, singular or plural
* 'o-: 3rd-person plural Yuchi actor or patient (women's speech)
* hi-: 3rd-person inanimate patient, singular or plural
* ho-: 3rd-person inanimate patient and participant, singular or plural
* 'yu-: verb root
* -ne-: habitual aspect
* -e: active verbalizer