Syllabification of Bi-Consonantal Clusters Between Vowels in Albanian

Artan Xhaferaj

doi:10.5539/ijel.v8n5p230

Abstract

Syllabification is one of the most complex issues in Albanian phonetics. An extensive treatment of the topic was made by Dodi (2004), who, thanks to a thorough acquaintance with the existing literature on the area, also clearly states the drawbacks of the main theories of the syllable, based on material from the Albanian language. However, despite the huge research carried out and the important results achieved, the positions of linguists on syllabification remain different. One reason for this is that linguistic literature lacks an established definition of the syllable as a linguistic unit. In the present research on syllabification, we support some of the existing rules by bringing new arguments and making some additions in order to make them more convincing, with a view to improving and simplifying their practical application. We focus on syllable boundary when there are two consonants between vowels, based on the Sonority Sequencing Principle, on the Syllable Contact Law, the Dispersion Principle, and the Maximum Onset Principle.

Highlights

As studies in the Phonetics field indicate, the Theory of Sonority, which is based on acoustic criteria, explains the essence of the syllable more clearly, and offers a better solution to the problem of syllable boundary, despite the criticism that it may attract
We focus on syllable boundary when there are two consonants between vowels, based on the Sonority Sequencing Principle, on the Syllable Contact Law, the Dispersion Principle, and the Maximum Onset Principle
The detailed outcomes of the questionnaire are presented in Appendix A. Based on these phonetic principles or universal patterns of sonority, more certain analyses can be conducted in the Albanian language in order to determine syllable boundary, and more sustainable solutions can be offered for controversial instances of consonantal clusters in intervocalic position

Summary

Introduction

As studies in the Phonetics field indicate, the Theory of Sonority, which is based on acoustic criteria, explains the essence of the syllable more clearly, and offers a better solution to the problem of syllable boundary, despite the criticism that it may attract. 520), “the preference for the syllable structure A $ B, where A and B are marginal segments and a and b are the sonority values of A and B respectively, increases with the value a minus b.” This specification, according to Clements, extends the Syllable Contact Law over all kinds of syllable contacts, including V–C contacts. Sonority rises from the plosive /q/ to the vowel /a/, having a maximal dispersion, whereas in the second demisyllable, there is a smaller dispersion as sonority falls from the vowel /a/ to the nasal /n/ Another universal principle related to syllabification is the Maximum Onset Principle. The presence of the intervocalic consonant in the onset of second syllable, rather than in the coda of the first is universal (Gussenhoven & Jacobs, 2011), which is why consonants prefer to be part of the onset rather than the coda, as long as the syllable structure has no restrictions

Methodology

Syllabification

Findings

Conclusion