Vowel prothesis in Walliser German

Abstract

The present article investigates the pattern of vowel epenthesis in word-initial position (prothesis) in the Walliser dialect of German. In that dialect, /a/ is inserted before a word-initial /r/, provided that an unstressed vowel does not precede it. It is argued that Vowel Prothesis is a strategy for avoiding word onsets beginning with highly sonorant nonsyllabic segments and since /r/ is the most sonorous nonsyllabic segment in that position, the process therefore only takes place in that context. Vowel Prothesis is inhibited after an unstressed vowel because Walliser German avoids hiatus sequences consisting of unstressed vowels.