A Comparative Study of Phonological Pwo Karen Dialect and English Language
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This study aims to examine and compare the phonological systems of Pwo Karen and English, with particular attention to their similarities and differences at both segmental and suprasegmental levels. Employing a qualitative and documentary research design, primary data were collected from native speakers of Pwo Karen in Taung Kalay Village, Kayin State, Myanmar, through interviews and systematic phonological elicitation using prepared word lists. Secondary data were drawn from established linguistic studies on Karenic languages and English phonology.
The analysis focuses on phoneme inventories, syllable structures, and phonological processes, as well as suprasegmental features such as tone, stress, and intonation. Isolated lexical items, predominantly monosyllabic forms, were analyzed to examine phonemic contrasts and syllable patterns, while polysyllabic forms were used to investigate syllable types and phonological words. Phrasal and sentential data were analyzed to account for intonational patterns.
The findings reveal that while Pwo Karen and English share certain basic segmental features, they differ fundamentally in their phonological organization. Pwo Karen is characterized as a tonal language with phonemic vowel length and relatively simple syllable structures, whereas English is a stress-timed language with complex consonant clusters, vowel reduction, and stress-based intonation. These contrasts reflect broader typological differences between tonal and stress-based languages. The study contributes to comparative phonology and Karenic linguistic research and provides insights relevant to cross-linguistic analysis and pronunciation pedagogy.
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