Comparing Hiatus Resolution in Karanga and Nambya
This article compares three hiatus resolution strategies, viz., glide formation, secondary articulation and vowel elision in Karanga and Nambya, two southern Bantu languages spoken in Zimbabwe. The overall analysis is couched in Optimality Theory (hereafter OT). The strategies operate across a pref...
| Main Authors: | , |
|---|---|
| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
Nordic Africa Research Network
2011-09-01
|
| Series: | Nordic Journal of African Studies |
| Online Access: | https://www.njas.fi/njas/article/view/183 |
| _version_ | 1797697115450769408 |
|---|---|
| author | Calisto Mudzingwa Maxwell Kadenge |
| author_facet | Calisto Mudzingwa Maxwell Kadenge |
| author_sort | Calisto Mudzingwa |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description |
This article compares three hiatus resolution strategies, viz., glide formation, secondary articulation and vowel elision in Karanga and Nambya, two southern Bantu languages spoken in Zimbabwe. The overall analysis is couched in Optimality Theory (hereafter OT). The strategies operate across a prefix and a stem as well as across a nominal stem and a diminutive suffix. In both languages, glide formation is the default strategy and when blocked by phonotactic constraints, secondary articulation kicks in. In turn, when secondary articulation is blocked by OCP-driven constraints, V1 elision occurs. The main inter-language difference occurs when V1 is a coronal vowel and is preceded by a consonant; Karanga deletes V1 regardless of the quality of the preceding consonant because it does not allow palatalized consonants. In contrast, Nambya which allows some palatalized consonants employs secondary articulation with all other consonants except when the preceding consonant is palatal–where V1 is elided. In sum, in Karanga and Nambya, the quality of V1 and whether it is preceded by a consonant or not as well as the type of consonant preceding it determine which strategy between glide formation, secondary articulation and elision repairs the dispreferred configuration-hiatus.
|
| first_indexed | 2024-03-12T03:35:40Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-531e1e14fed04aa89e2ce6b181a70bf9 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1459-9465 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-12T03:35:40Z |
| publishDate | 2011-09-01 |
| publisher | Nordic Africa Research Network |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Nordic Journal of African Studies |
| spelling | doaj.art-531e1e14fed04aa89e2ce6b181a70bf92023-09-03T13:15:32ZengNordic Africa Research NetworkNordic Journal of African Studies1459-94652011-09-0120310.53228/njas.v20i3.183Comparing Hiatus Resolution in Karanga and NambyaCalisto Mudzingwa0Maxwell Kadenge1University of British ColumbiaUniversity of the Witwatersrand This article compares three hiatus resolution strategies, viz., glide formation, secondary articulation and vowel elision in Karanga and Nambya, two southern Bantu languages spoken in Zimbabwe. The overall analysis is couched in Optimality Theory (hereafter OT). The strategies operate across a prefix and a stem as well as across a nominal stem and a diminutive suffix. In both languages, glide formation is the default strategy and when blocked by phonotactic constraints, secondary articulation kicks in. In turn, when secondary articulation is blocked by OCP-driven constraints, V1 elision occurs. The main inter-language difference occurs when V1 is a coronal vowel and is preceded by a consonant; Karanga deletes V1 regardless of the quality of the preceding consonant because it does not allow palatalized consonants. In contrast, Nambya which allows some palatalized consonants employs secondary articulation with all other consonants except when the preceding consonant is palatal–where V1 is elided. In sum, in Karanga and Nambya, the quality of V1 and whether it is preceded by a consonant or not as well as the type of consonant preceding it determine which strategy between glide formation, secondary articulation and elision repairs the dispreferred configuration-hiatus. https://www.njas.fi/njas/article/view/183 |
| spellingShingle | Calisto Mudzingwa Maxwell Kadenge Comparing Hiatus Resolution in Karanga and Nambya Nordic Journal of African Studies |
| title | Comparing Hiatus Resolution in Karanga and Nambya |
| title_full | Comparing Hiatus Resolution in Karanga and Nambya |
| title_fullStr | Comparing Hiatus Resolution in Karanga and Nambya |
| title_full_unstemmed | Comparing Hiatus Resolution in Karanga and Nambya |
| title_short | Comparing Hiatus Resolution in Karanga and Nambya |
| title_sort | comparing hiatus resolution in karanga and nambya |
| url | https://www.njas.fi/njas/article/view/183 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT calistomudzingwa comparinghiatusresolutioninkarangaandnambya AT maxwellkadenge comparinghiatusresolutioninkarangaandnambya |