On the Phonological Interpretation of Long Vowels in Kolyma Yukaghir

Looking at the vowels of Kolyma Yukaghir, a minority language spoken in the upper reaches of the Kolyma River in northeastern Siberia (mainly in the Sakha Republic of the Russian Federation), both short and long vowels can be found. Although the existence of long vowels is clear from phonetic observations, the situation is not so straightforward when trying to give them a proper phonological interpretation. The author discusses what the most appropriate phonological interpretation of long vowels in Kolyma-Yukaghir is by examining various phonetic phenomena associated with them. After introducing basic phonetic observations concerning short and long vowels in Kolyma-Yukaghir, the author suggests that there are at least three phonological interpretations of long vowels. The author then discusses these three interpretations in turn by examining more detailed data and points out the advantages and disadvantages of each interpretation.