Quantity sensitive foot reduplication in isbukun bunun

This paper re-examines the phenomenon of so-called “total reduplication” in Isbukun Bunun and shows that the pattern is inaccurately classified as total reduplication due to the limited number of root types considered. When other root types are considered, it becomes clear that foot reduplication is involved instead, whereby the reduplicant copies the stress foot of the word. As shown, foot reduplication in Isbukun Bunun is quantity sensitive and is different from quantity insensitive foot reduplication, disyllabic reduplication, or full reduplication classified previously for Austronesian languages in and outside Taiwan (Blust 2009, Zeitoun and Wu 2006, Lee 2007). The findings that Isbukun Bunun does not utilize total reduplication and that foot reduplication in this language is quantity sensitive thus suggest the re-examination of total reduplication in other Bunun dialects as well as the inclusion of quantity sensitive foot reduplication in Austronesian languages in and outside Taiwan.