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/r/-deletion in complex words derived with a consonantal suffix
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The subject of this topic is /r/-deletion in (monosyllabic) derived words which contain a consonantal suffix. The pattern appears to show great resemblance to that found for /r/-deletion in (monosyllabic) simplex words. As to /r/-deletion the simplex word hert heart and the derived word heart /jɛr+t/ (he) hears show identical behaviour.

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Consonantal suffixes in Frisian consist of one or two consonants. This is not without consequences for the realization of stem-final /r/ in case the suffixes consist of or begin with a coronal consonant, as the overview in (1) makes clear.

1
Examples of complex words derived with a coronal suffix from an /r/-final stem
a. -d
- The past participle of weak verbs of the first conjugational class:
hy hat der in hiel skoft om seurd /søər+d/ [søət] he has been wining for it for quite a long time
hja hat har flink ward /var+d/ [vat] she really has exerted herself
b. -s
- the plural of nouns:
broers /bruər+s/ [bruəs] brothers
brouwers /brɔwər+s/ [brɔwəs] brewers
rinteniers /rɪntəniər+s/ [rɪntəniəs] persons of private means
roeiers /ru:jər+s/ [ru:jəs] rowers
skriuwers /skrjo:ər+s/ [skrjo:wəs] writers
stukadoars /stykadoər+s/ [stykadoəs] pasterers
[ /r/ is realized in the plural of loanwords, as in dollars /dɔlar+s/ [dɔlars] dollars and fentilators /fɛntila:tɔr+s/ [fɛntila:tɔrs] ventilators (see Duijff and Van der Kuip (2011:46)]
- the genitive of proper nouns:
Piers /piər+s/ [piəs] fyts Pier's bicycle
- the partitive genitive of adjectives:
wat djoers /djuər+s/ [djuəs] something expensive
wat djoerders /djuərər+s/ [djuədəs] something more expensive
neat nijers /nɛjər+s/ [nɛjəs] nothing newer
neat raars /ra:r+s/ [ra:s] nothing strange
wat swiers /swiər+s/ [swiəs] something heavy
wat toars /twar+s/ [twas] something barren; withered
[ /r/ is realized in the partitive genitive of loanwords, as in wat bizars /bizar+s/ [bizars] something bizar (see Duijff and Van der Kuip (2011:48).]
- nouns denoting a time span in adverbial use:
dy kears /kɪər+s/ [kɪəs] that time
- nouns denoting a time span in distributive use:
fjouwer kear jiers /iər+s/ [iəs] four times a year
in euro oers /uərə+s/ [uəs] one Euro an hour
c. -t
- the 3rd person singular present tense of strong verbs and weak verbs of the first conjugational class:
hja leart /lɪər+t/ [lɪət] she learns
hja skuort /skwor+t/ [skwot] she tears
it iten bedjert /bədjɛr+t/ [bədjɛt] gau mei dit waar the food goes off easily with this kind of weather
- adverbs and prepositions used as subordinating complementizers:
dêr't /dɛ:r+t/ [dɛ:t] where
wêr't /vɛ:r+t/ [vɛ:t] where
ear't /jɛr+t/ [jɛt] before
foar't /fwar+t/ [fwat] before
wannear't /vɔnɪər+t/ [vɔnɪ.ət] when
foar sa fier't /fiər+t/ [fiət] as far as
d. -st
- the 2nd person singular present tense of verbs:
do baaierst /ba:jər+əst/ [ba:jəst] troch de drek you wade through the mud
do bearst /bɪər+st/ [bɪəst] you make a fuss
do bedjerst /bədjɛr+st/ [bədjɛ(:)st] dat bern you spoil that child
do hearst /{hɪə/jɛ}r+st/ [hɪəst]/[jɛst] you hear
do doarst /d{oə/wa}r+st/ [doəst]/[dwast] wol you dare!
do sangerst /saŋər+əst/ [saŋəst] you nag, wine
- the 2nd person singular past tense of strong verbs:
do bedoarst /bədoər+st/ [bədoəst] dat bern you spoiled that child
befrearst /bəfrɪər+st/ [bəfrɪəst] dêr it was freezing in there
do fearst /fɪər+st/ [fɪ.əst] you sailed
stoarst /stoər+st/ [stoəst] dêr fan 'e kjeld you were freezing to death there
- adjectives in the superlative:
djoerst /djuər+st/ [djuəst] most expensive
goarst /ɡoər+st/ [ɡoəst] most filthy
raarst /ra:r+st/ [ra:st] oddest, strangest
sekuerst /səkyər+st/ [səkyəst] most precise
swierst /swɪr+st/ [swɪst] heaviest
toarst /twar+st/ [twast] most barren; most withered
e. -sk
- derived adjectives (mainly from nouns):
barbaarsk /barba:r+sk/ [barba:sk] barbarian
boersk /buər+sk/ [buəsk] rustic; lumpish
hurdlearsk /hød+lɪər+sk/ [høtlɪəsk] dense, slow
singeliersk /sɪŋəliər+sk/ [sɪŋəliəsk] singular, strange, odd
stoersk /stuər+sk/ [stuəsk] surly, grumpy
daaldersk /da:ldər+sk/ [da:ldəsk] wonderful
dopersk /do:pər+sk/ [do:pəsk] Mennonite
simmersk /sɪmər+sk/ [sɪməsk] summery
Westerlauwersk - /lɔwər+sk/ - [lɔwəsk] to the west of the river Lauwers

Non-coronal suffixes show a different pattern, as exemplified in (2):

2
Examples of complex words derived with a non-coronal suffix from an /r/-final stem
a. -k
- weak verbs of the second conjugational class:
fark(je) [farkjə] be boating (alongside farr(e) [farə] sail )
sljurk(je) [sljørkjə] slide softly (alongside sluer(e) [slyərə] slide )
luork(je) [lworkjə] peep, spy (alongside loer(e) [luərə] leer at )
b. -g
tjirg(je) [tjɪrɣjə] ~ tjir(je) [tjɪrjə] rant (and rave), storm, rage

With respect to /r/-deletion, then, complex words derived with a coronal consonantal suffix behave just like simplex words ending in the sequence /r/ + coronal consonant; this holds for both native words and more recent loanwords. The morphological make-up of these words does not seem to make any difference. The word-final sequence /r/ + coronal consonant appears to meet with a severe ban on its occurrence.

References
  • Duijff, Pieter & Kuip, Frits J. van der2011Morfeemfinale r-deleesje yn bûgingen, ôfliedingen en gearsettingenUs Wurk: tydskrift foar Frisistyk6044-59
  • Duijff, Pieter & Kuip, Frits J. van der2011Morfeemfinale r-deleesje yn bûgingen, ôfliedingen en gearsettingenUs Wurk: tydskrift foar Frisistyk6044-59
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