MALTESE
(Malta; Afro-Asiatic, Arabic)		 For more information about metathesis in this language, click on the following links:
Summary:
In verbs in which the medial radical consonant is a sonorant, i.e. [m, n, l, r], a sonorant and a following vowel metathesize. 
Examples
Conditions
Motivation
Additional info
Comments
References
Examples:
(See Comments for key to special characters used.)
The stem of the plural imperfective typically consists of a three consonant cluster. However, in verbs in which the medial radical consonant is a sonorant, i.e. [m, n, l, r], a vowel occurs to its left and this has been attributed to metathesis. The quality of this vowel is identical to the underlying quality of the vocalic melody.
 
             Imperfective
Perfective  Stem V Gloss
Plural  Singular


yo + korb + u  yo + krob  korob    /o/  'to groan'
ye + Hemz + u  ye + Hmez  Hemez   /e/  'to pin'
yi + tilf + u  yi + tlef  tilef    /i/  'to lose'
ya + ?ilb + u  ya + ?leb  ?aleb   /i/  'to overturn'
Conditions:
No information currently available.
Motivation:
a. Berrondonner et al. (1983): Maltese metathesis is a one-step operation in which the sonorant consonant and vowel switch 
    positions.

    V  C  R  V  C  V  -->  1  2  4  3  5  6
    1   2  3   4   5   6

b. Hume (1991): Metathesis in Maltese is the product of three elementary operations of non-linear phonology: delink, insert and
    associate.

    e.g. Derivation of [yokorbu] 'they groan'

    Lexical: input                      C   V    C   V   C
    (after plane conflation)         |     |     |     |     |
                                              k    o    r    o    b

    1st cycle:
               Syncope                           n/a
----------------------------------------------------------
     2nd cycle: input                 yVè   korob
               Syncope                  yV   k   rob
                                                     [o]'
               Vocalic Mapping    yV   k   rob
                                               \
                                                [o]'
-----------------------------------------------------------
     3rd cycle: input                 yó  krob  u
                Syncope                 yo  kr   b  u
                                                     [o]'
-----------------------------------------------------------
    Post-lexical
               Epenthesis             yo   kVèr   b  u
                                                         [o]'
               Vocalic Mapping   yo  kVr  bu
                                                   \
                                                    [o]'
               Output                  [yokórbu]   'they groan'
Additional information:
a. Syncope: An unstressed vowel in a non-final open syllable deletes.
   cf. Hume (1991):
    - When syncope applies, only the vowel slot of the prosodic template is deleted and the vocalic melody remains floating.
    - By universal association conventions, the floating melody links up to an empty vowel slot if one is available.
Comments:
Special Symbols:
H = voiceless pharyngeal fricative
?  = voiceless glottal stop

Last updated: 7/23/2001
References:
  • Berrondonner, A. et al. 1983. Principles de grammaire polylectale. Lyon: Presses Universitaires de Lyon.
  • Brame, M. K. 1973. On stress assignment in two Arabic dialects. In S. R. Anderson and P. Kiparsky (eds.), A festschrift for Morris Halle. NY: Holt, Rinehart & Winston. 14-25.
  • Hume, Elizabeth. 1991. Metathesis in Maltese: Implications for the Strong Morphemic Plance Hypothesis. Proceedings of NELS 21: 157-172.
  • Puech. G. 1979. Les Parlers maltais. Ph.D. dissertation. Université Lyon II.
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