An optimality-theoretic account of some aspects of Chitonga phonolgy

Abstract

Among others, the two available analyses of Bantu syllable onsets in the literature, namely the consonant cluster and the single segment approaches, are discussed. The phonology of Chitonga seems to favour an analysis that does not permit clusters of segments of the form CC (consonant clusters), VV (vowel clusters) or GG (glide clusters). In the light of this analysis, the sound inventory of Chitonga has been identified and the featural structure of the sounds and their phonotactics examined. Selected aspects such as segment sequences, aspiration of prenasalized voiceless consonants, consonant insertions, final vowel deletion, etc., are discussed within the framework of Optimality Theory (OT), as developed by Prince and Smolensky (l99l, 1993) and revised and extended by others (Goedemans 1996, Downing 1996c, McCarthy and Prince 1999, among others). The single segment analysis adopted for Chitonga implies that Syntagmatic Principles of OT which govern the pattern of consonant clusters play no role in the syllable onsets of this language. This thesis suggests that although the theory has the power to explain most of the facts, there are signs that some of its tenets such as exclusion of constraints which are language specific, and constraints on the generation of the input, could be challenged and are thus in need of further research.