Reanalysing ‘epenthetic’ consonants in nasal-consonant sequences: A lexical specification approach
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Kuniya Nasukawa
Abstract
A nasal prefix that occurs before vowel-initial stems in Bantu languages results in epenthetic consonants whose shape varies depending on the following vowel. It is argued that [ɡ] is the default epenthetic consonant that results from the lexical representation of the nasal prefix containing velarity in its lexical representation. Under palatalization this epenthetic consonant changes to [ʤ]. Epenthesis is effected by so-called overlapping concatenation that can be either asymmetric or symmetric. This difference captures the fact that epenthesis only applies at the juncture between a prefix and a stem involving asymmetric overlapping concatenation, while it fails to apply in a prefix-prefix context that involves symmetric overlapping concatenation. The processes involved require element sharing, agreement and enhancement to fully capture the epenthesis process as well as the attested variation.
Abstract
A nasal prefix that occurs before vowel-initial stems in Bantu languages results in epenthetic consonants whose shape varies depending on the following vowel. It is argued that [ɡ] is the default epenthetic consonant that results from the lexical representation of the nasal prefix containing velarity in its lexical representation. Under palatalization this epenthetic consonant changes to [ʤ]. Epenthesis is effected by so-called overlapping concatenation that can be either asymmetric or symmetric. This difference captures the fact that epenthesis only applies at the juncture between a prefix and a stem involving asymmetric overlapping concatenation, while it fails to apply in a prefix-prefix context that involves symmetric overlapping concatenation. The processes involved require element sharing, agreement and enhancement to fully capture the epenthesis process as well as the attested variation.
Chapters in this book
- Frontmatter I
- Contents V
- Introduction 1
- Elements and structural head-dependency 9
- Contrastive hierarchies and phonological primes 33
- Privativity and ternary phonological behavior 65
- A guide to Radical CV Phonology, with special reference to tongue root and tongue body harmony 111
- English vowel structure and stress in GP 2.0 157
- Reanalysing ‘epenthetic’ consonants in nasal-consonant sequences: A lexical specification approach 185
- The role of the elements in diphthong formation and hiatus resolution: Evidence from Tokyo and Owari Japanese 207
- Elements of syntax. Repulsion and attraction 251
- General Index 275
- Language Index 279
Chapters in this book
- Frontmatter I
- Contents V
- Introduction 1
- Elements and structural head-dependency 9
- Contrastive hierarchies and phonological primes 33
- Privativity and ternary phonological behavior 65
- A guide to Radical CV Phonology, with special reference to tongue root and tongue body harmony 111
- English vowel structure and stress in GP 2.0 157
- Reanalysing ‘epenthetic’ consonants in nasal-consonant sequences: A lexical specification approach 185
- The role of the elements in diphthong formation and hiatus resolution: Evidence from Tokyo and Owari Japanese 207
- Elements of syntax. Repulsion and attraction 251
- General Index 275
- Language Index 279
