| Examples: |
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Metathesis is a regular phonological
process in Sidamo. It systematically occurs before suffixes beginning
with /n/, the only suffix-initial sonorant in the language. A root-final
obstruent and a following nasal metathesize, and the nasal is realized
as homorganic with the adjacent obstruent. Similar patterns are observed
in Darasa, Gedeo, Hadiyya and Kambata with different,
noncognate suffixes.
| Input |
Output |
Gloss |
| hab+nemmo |
hambemmo |
we forget |
| gud+nonni |
gundonni |
they finished |
| ag+no |
aNgo |
let’s drink |
| has+nemmo |
hansemmo |
we look for |
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| Conditions: |
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No data currently available. |
| Motivation: |
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Syllable Contact/Sonority:Vennemann
(1988) proposes that metathesis in Sidamo serves to create a better syllable
contact, whereby a coda is more sonorous than the following onset. See
also Rice (1992) in which sonority is formally represented in terms of
geometric tree structure. In Rice's proposed model of feature organization,
the structural representation of the more sonorous nasal consonant is more
complex than that of the obstruent: the nasal has an SV node linked to
the Root node, while an obstruent lacks an SV node. It is proposed that
metathesis in Sidamo is motivated by an ill-formed structural relationship
between the rhyme and onset consonant: the right-hand segment must not
be more sonorous than the preceding consonant. In order to satisfy
this requirement, the SV node of the rightmost segment delinks from the
Root node and reassociates to the Root node of the preceding segment.
Thus, the first segment is realized as nasal and the second as oral; no
change in other features is proposed. [Note that a change in manner (e.g.
continuancy, stridency) may also be required to yield the correct ouput
when the change involved is /sn/ -> [ns]. -- web editor's note.]
Perceptual Optimization: Hume
(1998, 2000) argues that metathesis serves to enhance the overall perceptibility
of the segments in the sequence and, in turn, strengthen paradigmatic and
syntagmatic contrast. By positioning the obstruents, particularly
stop consonants, in prevocalic position, the phonetic cues to the consonant's
place of articulation are more perceptible. There is no place contrast
for the suffixal nasal consonants regardless of whether the nasal occurs
in prevocalic or preconsonantal position (place of articulation is systematically
neutralized for nasal consonants in preconsonantal position in the language)
so no place information is lost by positioning the nasal before the obstruent.
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| Related
processes: |
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No data currently available. |
| Comments: |
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Special Symbols:
N= velar nasal consonant
Last updated: 9/13/2000 |
| References: |
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Hudson, Grover. 1975. Suppletion in
the Representation of Alternations. PhD dissertation. UCLA.
Hudson, Grover. 1995. Phonology of Ethiopian
Languages. In John Goldsmith (ed.), Handbook of Phonological Theory. Oxford:
Blackwell. 782-797.
Hume, Elizabeth. 1998. The Role of Perceptibility
in Consonant/Consonant Metathesis. In Blake, Susan, Eun-Sook Kim, and Kimary
Shahin (eds.), WCCFL XVII Proceedings. Stanford: CSLI. 293-307.
Hume, Elizabeth. 2000. Metathesis: Data,
Motivation and Phonological Theory. In E. Hume, N. Smith & J. van de
Weijer, Surface Syllable Structure and Segment Ordering. Leiden, NL: HIL.
Rice, Keren. 1992. On Deriving Sonority:
A Structural Account of Sonority Relationships. Phonology 9. 61-99.
Vennemann, Theo, 1988. Preference Laws
for Syllable Structure. Berlin: Mouton.
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