The Vowel System of Mišótika Cappadocian

This paper discusses changes in the vowel system of contemporary Mišotika, the Cappadocian variety of Misti. We compare the current vowel system with the one described by Dawkins (1916) and propose a hypothesis to explain the differences between the two, taking into consideration mechanisms of language contact linguistic and change. According to Dawkins (1916), the vowel system of Cappadocian consisted of eight vowels. In addition to the Greek vowels [a,e,i,o,u], it included the Turkish vowels [y, oe, ɯ]. These appeared mainly in Turkish loans, e.g. karı ‘woman’ > [kaˈrɯ], tütün ‘tobacco’ > [tyˈtyn] (Janse, 2009; 2015), whereas their presence in Greek words was rare, if not unattested, e.g. σκυλιού > [ʃcyˈʎy], ήκουσεν > [ˈyksen]. The current vowel system diverges significantly from the older one. In particular, [y, oe, ɯ] are rapidly disappearing, especially in the casual speech of younger adults. At the same time, a previously unattested vowel [æ] seems to have emerged in the speech of both elderly people and young adults. We argue that the changes in the vowel system result from language contact. In particular, the Turkish vowels [y, oe, ɯ] are in the process of elimination due to mechanisms of levelling, as Mišótika has been in contact with Modern Greek since the population exchange of the 1920s, and Turkish features were highly stigmatized for many decades. The presence of the vowel [æ] is in need of explanation. It occurs in many words of Greek origin, e.g. εδαρέ ‘now’ > [dæˈræ], τα ημέτερα ‘our’ > [tæˈmær]. It is well attested in Pontic (α̈ or α̤ in standard Pontic orthography) and occasionally in Pharasiot (Dawkins, 1916). We discuss the phonological status of [æ] in contemporary Mišótika and its possible origins, including its presence in Turkish loans, e.g. tepe ‘hill’ > [dæˈpæ], sever ‘time’ > [sæˈvær].