Phoneme Sonority Sequence and Combination Mechanism of Consonant Clusters in Kazakh

Abstract

The relationship between sonority sequencing principle and syllable structures has been stated in phonology, and sonority hierarchy has been classified according to the type of articulation. Based on the above theory of acoustic phonetics, this experiment was designed to extract the sound intensity of each segment as the reference for sonority grade to analyze the combination mechanism of consonant clusters and their properties in syllable fabric in Kazakh. The results indicate that the combination mechanism of Kazakh consonant clusters is in the pattern of “strong +weak /high +low”. This pattern determines that Kazakh consonant cluster can only appear at the end of syllables rather than at the beginning of syllables. In all consonant clusters, the frequency of the first segment is inversely proportional to the sound intensity of the segment, which ensures the smooth transfer of sonority from the strong to the weak between the syllable nuclear and the first segment of consonant cluster. At the same time, the Kazakh syllable division rules determine that the combination of Kazakh consonant clusters is not stable. Consonant clusters could be destroyed and divided into two different syllables, so consonant clusters are more likely to be located at the end of a word.