Vowel hiatus resolution in ciNsenga: An Optimality Theory analysis
- Simango, Silvester R, Kadenge, Maxwell
- Authors: Simango, Silvester R , Kadenge, Maxwell
- Date: 2014
- Subjects: To be catalogued
- Language: English
- Type: text , article
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/469289 , vital:77229 , https://doi.org/10.2989/16073614.2014.925220
- Description: This article examines patterns of vowel hiatus resolution in ciNsenga, using Optimality Theory (OT). We present a formal analysis of the morphosyntatic and phonological contexts in which potential vowel hiatus occurs and the strategies that are utilised to resolve it. In this language, hiatus resolution is a function of whether V2 is an affix vowel, a nominal root initial vowel or a verbal stem initial vowel. The language has a complete ban on vowel hiatus in nominals. In verbs, it is prohibited when V2 is an affix vowel but is allowed when V2 is a verb stem-initial vowel. Thus, when V2 is a prefix or nominal stem-initial glide formation, secondary articulation and vowel elision are triggered to resolve hiatus. The main challenge is to account for the fact that in this language vowel hiatus is tolerated in one domain and is banned in another. Drawing on insights from OT we argue that, in ciNsenga, hiatus resolution is blocked when V2 is verb stem-initial because the morphoprosodic alignment constraint ALIGN (ROOTVERB, L,σ,L) outranks ONSET in the verbal domain.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2014
- Authors: Simango, Silvester R , Kadenge, Maxwell
- Date: 2014
- Subjects: To be catalogued
- Language: English
- Type: text , article
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/469289 , vital:77229 , https://doi.org/10.2989/16073614.2014.925220
- Description: This article examines patterns of vowel hiatus resolution in ciNsenga, using Optimality Theory (OT). We present a formal analysis of the morphosyntatic and phonological contexts in which potential vowel hiatus occurs and the strategies that are utilised to resolve it. In this language, hiatus resolution is a function of whether V2 is an affix vowel, a nominal root initial vowel or a verbal stem initial vowel. The language has a complete ban on vowel hiatus in nominals. In verbs, it is prohibited when V2 is an affix vowel but is allowed when V2 is a verb stem-initial vowel. Thus, when V2 is a prefix or nominal stem-initial glide formation, secondary articulation and vowel elision are triggered to resolve hiatus. The main challenge is to account for the fact that in this language vowel hiatus is tolerated in one domain and is banned in another. Drawing on insights from OT we argue that, in ciNsenga, hiatus resolution is blocked when V2 is verb stem-initial because the morphoprosodic alignment constraint ALIGN (ROOTVERB, L,σ,L) outranks ONSET in the verbal domain.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2014
Language policy, translation and language development in Zimbabwe
- Kadenge, Maxwell, Nkomo, Dion
- Authors: Kadenge, Maxwell , Nkomo, Dion
- Date: 2011
- Subjects: To be catalogued
- Language: English
- Type: text , article
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/469459 , vital:77244 , https://doi.org/10.2989/16073614.2011.647488
- Description: Zimbabwe does not have a national language policy document on which the country's language practices are based. The language policy is usually inferred from the language practices that characterise various spheres of life. This article attempts to show how the language policy, which primarily influences text production in the country, has nurtured translation practice. The dominating role of English sees many texts, particularly technical texts, being translated from this language into chiShona and isiNdebele, which are national languages. Translation also occurs from the national languages into English, but this involves mainly literary texts with historical and cultural significance. English literature produced by Zimbabwean writers also displays this kind of translation. Translation between indigenous languages is minimal, as is the involvement of minority languages in translation. It is apparent that scholarly research in this area is not really visible. Subsequently, the potential of translation to facilitate communication and development across linguistic barriers is not fully explored. In that context, there are many issues for translation in Zimbabwe, including in-depth investigations on the issues that are highlighted in this article like the nature of languages involved, the directionality of translation, and the types of texts translated.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2011
- Authors: Kadenge, Maxwell , Nkomo, Dion
- Date: 2011
- Subjects: To be catalogued
- Language: English
- Type: text , article
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/469459 , vital:77244 , https://doi.org/10.2989/16073614.2011.647488
- Description: Zimbabwe does not have a national language policy document on which the country's language practices are based. The language policy is usually inferred from the language practices that characterise various spheres of life. This article attempts to show how the language policy, which primarily influences text production in the country, has nurtured translation practice. The dominating role of English sees many texts, particularly technical texts, being translated from this language into chiShona and isiNdebele, which are national languages. Translation also occurs from the national languages into English, but this involves mainly literary texts with historical and cultural significance. English literature produced by Zimbabwean writers also displays this kind of translation. Translation between indigenous languages is minimal, as is the involvement of minority languages in translation. It is apparent that scholarly research in this area is not really visible. Subsequently, the potential of translation to facilitate communication and development across linguistic barriers is not fully explored. In that context, there are many issues for translation in Zimbabwe, including in-depth investigations on the issues that are highlighted in this article like the nature of languages involved, the directionality of translation, and the types of texts translated.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2011
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