Nasal strengthening in Northern Sotho

[摘要] ENGLISH ABSTRACT:This study focuses on the phonological process of Nasal Strengthening in Northern Sotho. It setsout to employ two phonological models to describe the phenomenon in order to determine whichmodel presents the most credible explanation for the phenomenon. The core elements of a classicallinear model, the so called SPE model of Transformational Generative (TG) phonology is describedand applied to the phenomenon. It is indicated that a number of phonological rules are actuallyinvolved in the process as a whole. It is argued that the following rules are in fact involved in thegeneration of appropriate phonetic outputs: a strengthening rule, a homorganic nasal assimilationrule and a nasal deletion rule. The previously inexplicable /k'/ insertion rule is shown to be nothingmore than part of a more general process of glottal stop strengthening. This is indeed a new viewwith respect to the traditional stance on vowel strengthening. Although the majority of the soundchanges may be accounted for within a TG model, the formalism of the strengthening rule itselfunfortunately does not reflect any phonetic explanation for the phenomenon. A second, non-linear,phonological model, i.e. a Feature Geometry model (FG) is described and applied to the samephenomenon. It appears that although the more contemporary FG model presents innovative ideason the structure of phonological representations and processes, it can not account for thestrengthening of voiced fricatives at all. At the most this model seems to be able only to account forvoiceless fricatives being strengthened to voiced obstruents. It is clear that none of the models canpresent a complete and credible account of Nasal Strengthening in Northern Sotho.

[发布机构] Stellenbosch University