Phonology: Structure Changing Rules 1.1

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This exercise is designed to give you practice at analyzing data sets in which a syllabic structure has been altered due to phonological and morpho-phonological processes. The data sets display epenthesis (insertion), deletion, metathesis, and reduplication.

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Question 1

Examine the data in Fijian, which shows the articulation of loanwords from English. Select the structure changing process that best accounts for the alternation observed in the data set below.

‘clock’ /kaloko/

‘apple’ /aapolo/

‘John’ /tʃone/

A	epenthesis
B	reduplication Hint: In this set, epenthesis occurs in order to maintain the CV Fijian syllable structure. Thus /klak/ CCVC becomes /kalolo/ CVCVCV; /æpəl/ VCVC becomes /apolo/ VCVCV; /dʒan/ CVC becomes /tʃone/ CVCV.
C	metathesis Hint: In this set, epenthesis occurs in order to maintain the CV Fijian syllable structure. Thus /klak/ CCVC becomes /kalolo/ CVCVCV; /æpəl/ VCVC becomes /apolo/ VCVCV; /dʒan/ CVC becomes /tʃone/ CVCV.
D	deletion Hint: In this set, epenthesis occurs in order to maintain the CV Fijian syllable structure. Thus /klak/ CCVC becomes /kalolo/ CVCVCV; /æpəl/ VCVC becomes /apolo/ VCVCV; /dʒan/ CVC becomes /tʃone/ CVCV.

Question 2

Turkish

Which structure changing process accounts for the alternation in the data set below?

pranga pıranga ‘fetters’

prens pirens ‘prince’

prova purova ‘test’

A	reduplication Hint: In this data set the initial consonant cluster, which is not permitted in Turkish, is re-syllabified by the insertion of a vowel. This is epenthesis.
B	deletion Hint: In this data set the initial consonant cluster, which is not permitted in Turkish, is re-syllabified by the insertion of a vowel. This is epenthesis.
C	epenthesis
D	metathesis Hint: In this data set the initial consonant cluster, which is not permitted in Turkish, is re-syllabified by the insertion of a vowel. This is epenthesis.

Question 3

Examine the data in Saanich (Montler 1986, 1989)

Which structure changing process accounts for the alternation in the data set below?

CCәC → CәCC

/θk^w-/ [θk^wә́t θә́k^wt] 'straighten (something)'

/t’s-/ [ t’sә́t t’ә́st] 'break (something)'

/tθ’ɬәk^w’/ [tθ’ɬә́k^w’ tθ’ә́ɬk^w’] 'pinch (something)'

A	deletion Hint: In this language, the root consists of three consonants. In each case a vowel is inserted after the initial two consonants. However, the surface form of each word shows a resyllabification such that the underlying structure CCV becomes CVC. This is metathesis.
B	metathesis
C	reduplication Hint: In this language, the root consists of three consonants. In each case a vowel is inserted after the initial two consonants. However, the surface form of each word shows a resyllabification such that the underlying structure CCV becomes CVC. This is metathesis.
D	epenthesis Hint: In this language, the root consists of three consonants. In each case a vowel is inserted after the initial two consonants. However, the surface form of each word shows a resyllabification such that the underlying structure CCV becomes CVC. This is metathesis.

Question 4

Kallam (Thompson & Thompson 1969)

Which structure changing process accounts for the alternation in the data set below?

/qq’í-/ [qíq’-] ‘tie up, restrain’

/pk^wә́-/ [pә́k^w-] ‘smoke’

/čk^wú-/ [čúk^w-] ‘shoot’

A	epenthesis Hint: The surface form of each word shows a resyllabification such that the underlying structure CCV becomes CVC. This is metathesis.
B	metathesis
C	deletion Hint: The surface form of each word shows a resyllabification such that the underlying structure CCV becomes CVC. This is metathesis.
D	reduplication Hint: The surface form of each word shows a resyllabification such that the underlying structure CCV becomes CVC. This is metathesis.

Question 5

Amharic (Leslau 1995)

Select the structure changing process that best accounts for the alternation observed in the data set below

/kǝbrit/ [kǝrbit] 'matches'

/mogzit/ [mozgit] ‘nanny’

A	deletion Hint: In this example, the consonants in word medial clusters are reversed. This is metathesis.
B	reduplication Hint: In this example, the consonants in word medial clusters are reversed. This is metathesis.
C	epenthesis Hint: In this example, the consonants in word medial clusters are reversed. This is metathesis.
D	metathesis

Question 6

Examine the data set below in Gapapaiwan spoken in Papua New Guinea. Which structure changing process accounts for the alternation in the data set below?

kita ‘see’ ikitakita ‘he was seeing’

vona ‘speak’ ivonavona ‘he was speaking’

A	metathesis Hint: In morphological process in this example shows that /i/ as attached to the left edge of the roots 'kita' and 'vona' (epenthesis) after which they are reduplicated.
B	epenthesis Hint: In morphological process in this example shows that /i/ as attached to the left edge of the roots 'kita' and 'vona' after which they are reduplicated.
C	deletion Hint: In morphological process in this example shows that /i/ as attached to the left edge of the roots 'kita' and 'vona' (epenthesis) after which they are reduplicated.
D	reduplication Hint: In morphological process in this example shows that /i/ as attached to the left edge of the roots 'kita' and 'vona' after which they are reduplicated.

Question 7

Standard English

/rɛləvənt/ → [rɛvələnt] ‘relevant’

A	epenthesis Hint: In this example, the /l/ and /v/ are interchanged. This is metathesis.
B	reduplication Hint: In this example, the /l/ and /v/ are interchanged. This is metathesis.
C	deletion Hint: In this example, the /l/ and /v/ are interchanged. This is metathesis.
D	metathesis

Question 8

Examine the data in Kinyakyusa (Lusekelo 2014)

Select the structure changing process that best accounts for the alternation observed in the data set below.

mw-ana ‘child’ mw-ana-mw-ana ‘kind of a child’

mu-ndu ‘person’ mu-ndu-mu-ndu ‘kind of a person’

ly-ani ‘leaf’ ly-ani-ly-ani ‘kind of a leaf’

ma-ani ‘leaves’ ma-ani-ma-ani ‘kind of leaves’

fy-alo ‘farms’ fy-alo-fy-alo ‘kind of farms'

A	reduplication
B	epenthesis Hint: In this data set, each morpheme of the stem (left) is fully reduplicated (right).
C	deletion Hint: In this data set, each morpheme of the stem (left) is fully reduplicated (right).
D	metathesis Hint: In this data set, each morpheme of the stem (left) is fully reduplicated (right).

Question 9

Standard English

Which structure changing process accounts for the alternation in the data set below?

/pəlís/ → [plís] ‘police’

/bəlún/→ [blún] ‘ballon’

/pəɹéjd/ → [pɹéjd] ‘parade’

/bəlív/→ [blív] ‘believe’

A	reduplication Hint: In this example, the reduced vowel flanked by a plosive and a sonorant is deleted.
B	deletion
C	metathesis Hint: In this example, the reduced vowel flanked by a plosive and a sonorant is deleted.
D	epenthesis Hint: In this example, the reduced vowel flanked by a plosive and a sonorant is deleted.

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Phonology: Structure Changing Rules 1.1

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