Browsing by Author "Al Aboudi, Aseel"

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The Sonority Sequencing Principle in Qassimi Arabic Consonant Clusters: An Optimality Theoretical Analysis
(Qassim University, 2024-03) Al Aboudi, Aseel; Aljutaily, Mohammed
This thesis seeks to gain insights into word-initial and final consonant cluster of Qassimi Arabic — a local dialect of Najdi Arabic mainly spoken in Qassim, Saudi Arabia — and measured the sonority scale in these positions within the Optimality Theory framework. This study contributes to the understanding of QA consonant clusters through in-depth analysis of consonant cluster and co-occurrence restrictions regarding Sonority Sequencing Principle. A list of words was used with the three sonority profile: falling, equal, and rising sonority, the clusters includes obstruents, nasals, liquids, and glides. The list also consists of zero, one, two, and three steps of sonority for rising and falling sonority profile to determine the minimal sonority distance in Qassimi Arabic. As part of the study, the epenthetic vowels in coda clusters were also examined when they occurred. The outcome of the study revealed only coda clusters conform to the sonority sequencing principle. In the context of sonority violation in coda clusters, a vowel is epenthesized in the rising sonority clusters and equal sonority clusters containing a sequence of two nasals. However, neither the falling nor equal sonority clusters containing two obstruents undergo vowel epenthesis. The epenthetic vowel can be determined by two factors: vowel harmony and the place of articulation of the adjacent consonants. The study also revealed that Qassimi Arabic initial and final consonant clusters have a several environments with respect to their minimal sonority distance. The minimum sonority distance between the first and second codas is zero, and between the first and second onsets is (-1). Accordingly, unlike coda clusters, onset consonant clusters do not always conform to the sonority profile where violations are captured in this position. Based on Optimality Theory (OT), the interaction of markedness and faithfulness constraints determines optimal outputs in various environments. As a result, the established constraints in QA onset clusters are ranked as follows: ONS >> SyllCon >> * V(short) ] σ >> SSP >> LINEARITY >> Comp-Ons >> MAX-IO >> DEP-IO. The ranking in coda clusters is as follows: ONS >> * V(short) ] σ >> SSP > > *i[-Pahr] >> Comp-Ons >> MAX-IO >> DEP-IO.
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