Mapping of spirantization and de-aspiration in Sylheti: An Optimality Theory analysis
- Satarupa Sen
Abstract
Sylheti, with its long literary tradition and its own independent script and rich cultural heritage, is attracting increased attention in academia, thus opening numerous avenues for linguistic research. In this paper we explore consonant phonological patterns and their analysis within an Optimality Theory (OT) model. Sylheti bilabial plosive /p/ and velar plosive /k/, along with their aspirated counterparts /pʰ/ and /kʰ/, participate in spirantization, resulting in the fricative sounds /f/ and /χ/. Unlike related languages, spirantization in Sylheti occurs in pre-vocalic, inter-vocalic and post-vocalic positions, and can best be understood as competition between ranked constraints.`
Keywords: Sylheti, Consonant phonological patterns, Optimality Theory, Spirantizaton
How to Cite:
Sen, S., (2020) “Mapping of spirantization and de-aspiration in Sylheti: An Optimality Theory analysis”, Language Documentation and Description 18, 42-55. doi: https://doi.org/10.25894/ldd87
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