Abstract
The Djelfa dialect (DJ) is one of the varieties of Algerian Arabic that is characterized by complicated regressive and progressive assimilatory processes. The current paper addresses some of these assimilatory mechanisms, namely, nasal assimilation, lateral assimilation, /t/ assimilation, devoicing assimilation, emphasis assimilation and guttural place assimilation. The paper offers a straightforward analysis and provides a comprehensive picture of these assimilatory processes within the framework of Optimality Theory (OT), [1] [2], [3] and [4] by means of accounting for the trigger motivating them, which is reflected through the relevant constraints at play and their way of interaction. The paper concludes that regressive assimilation is very pervasive in the dialect as the latter endeavors to abide by IDENT-STEM-ONS (F) and IDENT-ONS (F) as much as possible unless a higher ranked constraint is endangered. Moreover, the paper lends support to McCarthy and Prince's (1995) claim that root faithfulness outranks affix faithfulness as DJ prefers to keep stem segment features intact at the expense of affixes' feature change.
Highlights
Assimilation is known to be the influence of the articulation of a segment upon another in the way that one segment becomes identical to another in one or more phonetic features
In the foregoing discussion, we have addressed some regressive and progressive assimilation in DJ
Couched within the Optimality Theory (OT) framework, the analysis showed how the markedness and the faithfulness constraints are conflicting to yield the optimal outputs attested in the dialect
Summary
Assimilation is known to be the influence of the articulation of a segment upon another in the way that one segment becomes identical to another in one or more phonetic features. The core issues pursued in this paper revolve around some regressive and progressive assimilatory processes attested in DJ. It is to the credit of OT that assimilation is adequately motivated. The cornerstone assumption of OT is that there are only two levels of representation input and output that are evaluated via a set of constraints to yield the optimal outputs. In DJ, the alveolar nasal /n/ either fully or partially assimilates to some of the segments it immediately precedes. The motivation triggering these partial and total assimilations is accounted for
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