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MUFLEH SALEM M. ALQAHTANI

Professor

Professor of Theoretical Linguistics (Phonology)

اللغات وعلومها
Department of Linguistics, College of Language Sciences
المنشورات
مقال فى مجلة
2017

The Treatment of Vowel-Initial Syllables in Somali Syllable Structure: A Constraint-Based Approach

Phonology and Phonological Theory

The onset in Somali syllable structure provokes considerable argument among scholars who are interested in the syllable structure in this language. Owrin (1996) and Saeed (1999) agree that segmental-filling in the onset position is mandatory in this language whereas Zetterholm and Tronnier (2012) state that segmental-filling in the onset position is as optional as in the coda in this language. Therefore, this research is to investigate whether onsets in Somali syllable structure are mandatory or optional in light of Optimality Theory (OT), as a framework. This study primarily depends on data taken from extant literature including books, articles, and theses. Furthermore, 10 Somali native speakers were consulted about the fact of data. This study concludes that consonant epenthesis as well as resyllabification manifests the importance of onsets in Somali. Consonant epenthesis occurs initially when a monosyllable word begins with a vowel (onsetless syllable), e.g., /èj/ [ʔèj] ‘dog’. Likewise, this type of epenthesis is found in the intervocalic position when syllables of the form CV are associated with vowel-initial suffixes, e.g. /ma-a:n/[ma.Ɂa:n] ‘not I’. The process of resyllabification in Somali is motivated by syllable types CVC and CVVC that are associated with vowel-initial suffixes, e.g. /na:ɡ-i/[na:.ɡi] ‘woman’, /war.qad-u:/[war.qa.du:] ‘formal letter’.

رقم المجلد
11
رقم الانشاء
1
مجلة/صحيفة
The Linguistics Journal
الصفحات
169-188
مزيد من المنشورات
publications

This research discusses the underapplication opacity, namely counterbleeding, of non-local compensatory lengthening in
Modern Colloquial Persian, a style of informal speech in Iran (mostly…

بواسطة Mufleh Salem M. Alqahtani
2023
تم النشر فى:
Sage Publications
publications

This study examines how association line crossing in prosodic structure, as well as a bad sonority contour triggered by a glottal approximant in postconsonantal position, is avoided by non-local…

بواسطة Mufleh Salem M. Alqahtani
2023
تم النشر فى:
Yarmouk University
publications

This research investigates how the avoidance of initial gemination in Maltese is motivated by conformity to the Obligatory Contour Principle (OCP) and the Strict Layer Hypothesis (SLH) in light of…

بواسطة Mufleh Salem M. Alqahtani
2023
تم النشر فى:
Springer Nature