Phonological Variation In Mostaganem Arabic Insights From Optimality Theory

Résumé: The study examines phonological processes within Mostaganem Spoken Arabic (MTG) through the framework of Optimality Theory (OT). It investigates the mechanisms influencing phonological modifications in the dialect and evaluates how OT principles account for these patterns. A qualitative approach is employed, relying on recorded speech samples from one hundred native speakers of MTG. The methodology involves analyzing the interaction between markedness and faithfulness constraints in shaping phonological outputs. The findings reveal that place assimilation is the dominant phonological process in MTG, alongside epenthesis, syncope, and major class change. Place assimilation primarily affects the nasal /n/, which adopts the place features of adjacent labial consonants, ensuring phonetic cohesion. The study highlights the significance of these phonological modifications in maintaining natural speech flow and articulatory ease. By applying OT to MTG, this research contributes to a deeper understanding of phonological variation in Algerian Arabic and provides insights into the universality of phonological constraints across languages.

Publié dans la revue: فصل الخطاب