Document Type : Original Article
Authors
1 PhD Candidate in Linguistics, Department of Linguistics, Zanjan Branch, Islamic Azad University, Zanjan, Iran
2 English language teaching group. Faculty of Literature and Humanities , University of Mohaghegh Ardabili, Ardabil, Iran.
3 Assistant Professor in Linguistics, Department of Linguistics, Zanjan Branch, Islamic Azad University, Zanjan, Iran
Abstract
This study presented the phonotactic principles dominant on syllable coda in Ardabil Dialect of Azerbaijani Turkish Language using Optimality Theory. The objective was to determine the permissible syllable structure, based on the phonological constraints of this language, and to find out whether vowel hiatus is allowed in Ardabil dialect or not. This study used descriptive- analytical approach. The data were collected using interviews with 20 elderly native speakers of Ardabil dialect, without considering gender as a variable. The four major phonotactic principles (the Sonority Sequencing Principle, the Obligatory Contour Principle, the Syllable Contact Law, and the Maximal Onset Principle) were examined in Optimality Theory in Ardabil Dialect. The analysis of data revealed that all four principles are active and dominant in this language, and the Sonority Sequencing Principle holds the highest priority. The Obligatory Contour Principle is also active in Ardabil Dialect, and vowel hiatus resulting from affixation is prevented by inserting a consonant between the vowels. Additionally, the Syllable Contact Law governs Ardabil dialect, and the coda of the preceding syllable should be more sonorous than the onset of the following syllable. Considering the syllable structure of Ardabil dialect, which is CV(C)(C), onset is obligatory, so Maximal Onset Principle is satisfied in affixation and syllabification, ensuring that a consonant always occupies the onset position. In cases where these principles are violated, such as in loanwords, phonological processes like insertion and deletion prevent the occurrence of forbidden structures.
Keywords
- Phonotactic Principle
- Sonority Sequencing Principle (SSP)
- Obligatory Contour Principle (OCP)
- Syllable Contact Law
- Maximal Onset Principle
Main Subjects
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