Metathesis in Syrian Arabic: Types and Conditioning Factors

Abstract

This study explores metathesis in Syrian Arabic (SyA). The data reveal two types of metatheses. Type-I is phonologically conditioned, involving at least one of the four root consonants, ʒ, f, ʕ and ћ with the fricatives (z, s), liquids (l, r) or gutturals (q/ʔ) in specific positions within the root regardless of word derivation. Type-II is morpho-phonologically conditioned, involving Standard Arabic reflexive Pattern VIII, (ʔi)ftaʕal, that resulted historically from generalized metathesis of reflexive-t with C1 of the original Proto-Aramaic reflexive Pattern (ʔi)tfaʕal. It occurs in SyA as a reversed metathesis of Pattern VIII with doubling of C2, tfaʕʕal. This reverse metathesis occurs when the root consonant adjacent to reflexive-t is the fricative (s), pharyngeals (ʕ, ħ) or liquids (l, r). While metathesis results from strictly ranking the Optimality Theoretic LINEARITY constraint lower than LEFT-ANCHOR(t), geminating C2 is explained in terms of prosodic weight of the syllable to maintain stress assignment of the input and verb grammaticality and/or semantic correspondence with the input. Thus, the constraints IDENT(Stress), WEIGHT-BY-POSITION must dominate INTEGRITY and *CODA to allow gemination that contributes moriac weight to the penultimate syllable to receive priority stress over final bimoriac heavy syllables.