Examine the distribution of oral vs. nasalized vowels in Kpelle, a language spoken in Liberia and Sierra Leone. (A tilde [~] over a vowel indicates that it is nasalized.)
[sii] ‘spider’
[kp?la] ‘water chevrotain’*
[nsua] ‘my nose’
[p?~ja] ‘a design, mark’
[nuui] ‘the person’
[m?la] ‘its horn’
[mela] ‘split it’
[nt??] ‘send me’
[ntia] ‘my taboo’
[nso?] ‘catch me’
*A water chevrotain is a hornless ruminant, also called a mouse deer.
What is the distribution of the oral and nasalized vowels in Kpelle? (Click on the box to place an X beside your choice.)
? Contrastive
? Complementary
Provide evidence for your claim:
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