An Optimality-Based Analysis of the Morphophonemics of Diminutives in Bani Sakhar Arabic
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.17507/tpls.1506.19Keywords:
constraints, diminutive, Bani Sakhar Arabic, Optimality TheoryAbstract
This study aims to elucidate the underlying patterns governing noun diminutive formation in Bani Sakhar Arabic (BSA), a dialect spoken by the Bedouins of central Jordan, and to analyze them from an Optimality Theory (OT) perspective. The results of the study reveal that diminutivization in BSA follows specific patterns. Tri-consonantal nouns with strong roots are guided with the pattern / CCe:C/ for masculine nouns and / CCe:Ca/ for feminine nouns. Tri-consonantal nouns with weak roots are governed by the pattern /CCaj.jiC / for masculine nouns where the patterns /Cwe:Ca/ and /CCe:Ca/ shape diminutive forms of feminine nouns. Quadri-consonantal noun roots, on the other hand, exhibit the patterns /CCe:Ci:C/ and /CCe:CiC/. The derivation of these patterns is attributed to the active application of various phonological processes, including vowel syncope, vowel epenthesis, and glide insertion. Moreover, the study proves that these processes arise from an inherent conflict between markedness constraints and faithfulness constraints.
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