Comparing vowel hiatus resolution in ciNsenga and chiShona: An Optimality Theory analysis

Kadenge, Maxwell; Simango, Silvester Ron

doi:10.5842/44-0-641

Cited by 12 publications

(7 citation statements)

References 22 publications

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“…To account for the role of morphology, for example, Kadenge and Simango (2014) use Alignment constraints in the analysis of VHR in ciNtsenga and chiShona. The protection of V2 in VHR is argued to be due to alignment constraints demanding that the root is aligned with the syllable.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Vowel Hiatus in Lubukusu Revisited: A Positional Faithfulness Reanalysis

Nandelenga¹

2022

JLTCS

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Previous phonological studies have indicated that a sequence of dissimilar hetero-syllabic/morphemic vowels are dispreferred across languages because it creates vowel hiatus. As a result, it may engender multiple repair mechanisms. However, the repair mechanisms do not apply liberally; they may be resisted in certain positions when segmental deletion or featural change fail to take place. Segments in phonetically and psycholinguistically privileged positions invariably resist such repair strategies that may be quite regular in the grammar of the language. In this study, a reanalysis of data from Lubukusu language (Bantu, Kenya) shows that a Positional Faithfulness (PF) account within an Optimality Theory (OT) framework may be felicitous in explaining both the initiation and resistance to the said repair processes. The findings indicate that the positional faithfulness of the vowel in question may determine whether it is deleted or which features may be changed based on a single constraint hierarchy in an optimal grammar of the language. Preservation of lexical contrast in positions that are critical in language processing is accounted for through positional sensitive constraint domination.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Vowel Hiatus in Lubukusu Revisited: A Positional Faithfulness Reanalysis

Nandelenga¹

2022

JLTCS

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“…Once again, the prohibition of complex onsets in Xitsonga is not surprising, given its prevalence in other Bantu languages, including ciNsenga, chiNambya, siSwati, chiKaranga, and isiZulu (see Kadenge 2015;Kadenge and Simango 2014;Mudzingwa andKadenge 2011, 2014;Simango and Kadenge 2014). Thus, the following constraint is undominated in these languages:…”

Section: Secondary Articulationmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…In many Southern Bantu languages, mid-vowels do not participate in glide formation and secondary articulation (cf. Kadenge and Simango 2014;Mudzingwa and Kadenge 2011;Sibanda 2009;Simango and Kadenge 2014). In Xitsonga, the ability of a vowel to glide is not so much reliant on its height, but rather on lip rounding.…”

Section: Secondary Articulationmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…V1 deletion is common in Southern Bantu languages (cf. Kadenge and Simango 2014;Mudzingwa and Kadenge 2011;Sibanda 2009;Simango and Kadenge 2014). Candidate (d) does well to resolve hiatus through glide epenthesis, but is nonoptimal because it crucially violates DEP.…”

Section: Glide Formationmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Some of the repair strategies that have been reported in previous studies are vowel elision, assimilation, glide formation, vowel coalescence, diphthong formation (diphthongisation), and consonant epenthesis (Casali 2011). More than one strategy may be implemented within a single language, Kadenge and Simango (2014) present a comparative analysis of vowel hiatus resolution in ciNsenga and chiShona. CiNsenga and chiShona make use of glide formation, secondary articulation, and vowel elision; chiShona also makes use of coalescence and glide epenthesis.…”

Section: Introduction: Hiatus Resolutionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Hiatus Resolution in Xitsonga

Vratsanos

Kadenge

2017

SPILPLUS

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Vowel hiatus is dispreferred in many languages of the world. Xitsonga, an understudied crossborder Southern Bantu language spoken in South Africa, Mozambique, Swaziland, and Zimbabwe, employs a set of four hiatus resolution strategies: glide formation, secondary articulation, elision, and coalescence. Glide formation is the primary repair strategy, as it shows a least violation of faithfulness. In glide formation, /i/ and /u/ correspond to [j] and [w], respectively. It is blocked when V1 is preceded by a consonant, as this would incur a fatal violation of *COMPLEX. When glide formation is blocked, secondary articulation is the next preferred option. One of the interesting features of Xitsonga is that it allows secondary articulation involving mid-vowels /o e/. The Obligatory Contour Principle (OCP) is often the trigger for elision, the least preferred strategy. Vowel coalescence can take two forms in Xitsonga, namely /a + i/ → [e] and /a + u/ → [o], both of which incur a non-fatal violation of UNIFORMITY. When coalescence is blocked due to an impermissible sequence of /a/ and another vowel (excluding /i/ and /u/), the /a/ is elided. We argue that a single constraint hierarchy is responsible for these seemingly disjointed repair strategies. The overall significance of this paper lies in the fact that it is the first consolidated description and formal analysis of vowel hiatus resolution in Xitsonga.

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