LIGN 111 — Phonology UCSD, Winter 2010

Prof. Baković p. 1 of 2

Problem Set 5: Morphophonological analysis of Somali* Due Wednesday, February 23

On separate paper, answer the questions posed on p. 2 about the Somali data given below.

The questions are designed to guide your analysis, but your solution should be presented in

the form of a coherent essay, with explicit arguments for the formulation and order of each

rule. When asked to propose a rule, write the rule in plain English as well as using rule nota-

tion, and remember to use distinctive feature descriptions rather than phonetic symbols to de-

scribe the speech sounds involved in the rule. When asked to determine the correct order be-

tween two rules, justify your answer by identifying forms to which both rules apply and

showing derivations with one order of the rules and derivations with the other order.

As usual, please be sure to explain your answer to each question. Cite crucial data and pro-

vide arguments, following the example of what’s been discussed in the textbook, in class,

and in the sample solutions to problem sets that have been posted on the course website.

Analyze the following Somali words into their constituent morphemes, identifying the alternat-

ing phonetic shapes of each one.

singular

singular definite

plural

gloss

[dɑɑr]

[dɑɑrtɑ]

[dɑɑro]

‘house’

[ɡees]

[ɡeestɑ]

[ɡeeso]

‘side’

[luɡ]

[luɡtɑ]

[luɣo]

‘leg’

[nɑɑɡ]

[nɑɑɡtɑ]

[nɑɑɣo]

‘woman’

[tib]

[tibtɑ]

[tiβo]

‘pestle’

[sɑb]

[sɑbtɑ]

[sɑβo]

‘outcast’

[bɑd]

[bɑdɑ]

[bɑðo]

‘sea’

[ʕid]

[ʕidɑ]

[ʕiðo]

‘person’

[feeɖ]

[feeɖɑ]

[feeʐo]

‘rib’

[ul]

[ultɑ]

[ulo]

‘stick’

[bil]

[biltɑ]

[bilo]

‘month’

[lɑɑn]

[lɑɑntɑ]

[lɑɑmo]

‘branch’

[dɑɑn]

[dɑɑntɑ]

[dɑɑno]

‘riverbank’

[sun]

[suntɑ]

[sumo]

‘poison’

[dɑn]

[dɑntɑ]

[dɑno]

‘affair’

[sɑɑn]

[sɑɑntɑ]

[sɑɑno]

‘hide’

[sin]

[sintɑ]

[simo]

‘hip’

[niriɡ]

[niriɡtɑ]

[nirɡo]

‘baby female camel’

[ɡɑβɑɖ]

[ɡɑβɑɖɑ]

[ɡɑbɖo]

‘girl’

[ɡɑʕɑn]

[ɡɑʕɑntɑ]

[ɡɑʕmo]

‘arm’

[hoɣol]

[hoɣoltɑ]

[hoɡlo]

‘downpour’

[bɑɣɑl]

[bɑɣɑltɑ]

[bɑɡlo]

‘mule’

[wɑɦɑr]

[wɑɦɑrtɑ]

[wɑɦɑro]

‘female kid’

[kefed]

[kefedɑ]

[kefeðo]

‘pan’

[ʕilin]

[ʕilintɑ]

[ʕilino]

‘female dwarf’

[bohol]

[boholtɑ]

[boholo]

‘hole’

* Somali is a Cushitic (Afro-Asiatic) language spoken mostly in Somalia. Ethnologue reports nearly 14

million speakers: http://www.ethnologue.com/show_language.asp?code=som.

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LIGN 111 — Phonology UCSD, Winter 2010

Prof. Baković p. 1 of 2 Problem Set 5 : Morphophonological analysis of Somali * Due Wednesday, February 23 On separate paper, answer the questions posed on p. 2 about the Somali data given below. The questions are designed to guide your analysis, but your solution should be presented in the form of a coherent essay, with explicit arguments for the formulation and order of each rule. When asked to propose a rule, write the rule in plain English as well as using rule nota- tion, and remember to use distinctive feature descriptions rather than phonetic symbols to de- scribe the speech sounds involved in the rule. When asked to determine the correct order be- tween two rules, justify your answer by identifying forms to which both rules apply and showing derivations with one order of the rules and derivations with the other order. As usual, please be sure to explain your answer to each question. Cite crucial data and pro- vide arguments, following the example of what’s been discussed in the textbook, in class, and in the sample solutions to problem sets that have been posted on the course website. Analyze the following Somali words into their constituent morphemes, identifying the alternat- ing phonetic shapes of each one. singular singular definite plural gloss [dɑɑr] [dɑɑrtɑ] [dɑɑro] ‘house’ [ɡees] [ɡeestɑ] [ɡeeso] ‘side’ [luɡ] [luɡtɑ] [luɣo] ‘leg’ [nɑɑɡ] [nɑɑɡtɑ] [nɑɑɣo] ‘woman’ [tib] [tibtɑ] [tiβo] ‘pestle’ [sɑb] [sɑbtɑ] [sɑβo] ‘outcast’ [bɑd] [bɑdɑ] [bɑðo] ‘sea’ [ʕid] [ʕidɑ] [ʕiðo] ‘person’ [feeɖ] [feeɖɑ] [feeʐo] ‘rib’ [ul] [ultɑ] [ulo] ‘stick’ [bil] [biltɑ] [bilo] ‘month’ [lɑɑn] [lɑɑntɑ] [lɑɑmo] ‘branch’ [dɑɑn] [dɑɑntɑ] [dɑɑno] ‘riverbank’ [sun] [suntɑ] [sumo] ‘poison’ [dɑn] [dɑntɑ] [dɑno] ‘affair’ [sɑɑn] [sɑɑntɑ] [sɑɑno] ‘hide’ [sin] [sintɑ] [simo] ‘hip’ [niriɡ] [niriɡtɑ] [nirɡo] ‘baby female camel’ [ɡɑβɑɖ] [ɡɑβɑɖɑ] [ɡɑbɖo] ‘girl’ [ɡɑʕɑn] [ɡɑʕɑntɑ] [ɡɑʕmo] ‘arm’ [hoɣol] [hoɣoltɑ] [hoɡlo] ‘downpour’ [bɑɣɑl] [bɑɣɑltɑ] [bɑɡlo] ‘mule’ [wɑɦɑr] [wɑɦɑrtɑ] [wɑɦɑro] ‘female kid’ [kefed] [kefedɑ] [kefeðo] ‘pan’ [ʕilin] [ʕilintɑ] [ʕilino] ‘female dwarf’ [bohol] [boholtɑ] [boholo] ‘hole’

(^) Somali is a Cushitic (Afro-Asiatic) language spoken mostly in Somalia. Ethnologue reports nearly 14 million speakers: http://www.ethnologue.com/show_language.asp?code=som.

LIGN 111 — Phonology UCSD, Winter 2010

Prof. Baković p. 2 of 2

The singular definite suffix alternates between [-tɑ] and [-ɑ]. What is the most general way to state the rule responsible for this alternation? Is it a deletion or an insertion?
In some of the root morphemes, there is an alternation between a vowel and ∅ where the vowel is always identical to the preceding vowel of the root morpheme. What is the most general way to state the rule responsible for this alternation? Is this alternation a vowel deletion rule or a vowel insertion rule? ( Hints: the fact that the vowel’s features are com- pletely predictable is relevant to the choice between insertion and deletion. You will need a notation like the one introduced for nasal place assimilation on p. 89 of the textbook. The context of the rule should look similar, but not identical, to the context of the Vowel Deletion rule in Tagalog — but this doesn’t mean that it’s necessarily a deletion rule!)
What is the correct order (if any) between the rule in 1 and the rule in 2 , and why?
Some forms show an alternation between a stop and a corresponding fricative. What is the most general way to state the rule responsible for this alternation?
What is the correct order (if any) between the rule in 1 and the rule in 4 , and why?
What is the correct order (if any) between the rule in 2 and the rule in 4 , and why?
Some forms show an alternation between the nasals [m] and [n]. What is the most general way to state the rule responsible for this alternation?
What is the correct order (if any) between the rule in 1 and the rule in 7 , and why?
What is the correct order (if any) between the rule in 2 and the rule in 7 , and why?
What is the correct order (if any) between the rule in 4 and the rule in 7 , and why?
Demonstrate how the ordering of rules that you have established works by providing complete and correct derivations for each of the three forms of the following six words: ‘leg’, ‘sea’, ‘riverbank’, ‘poison’, ‘girl’, and ‘arm’. (3 forms × 6 words = 18 complete and correct derivations.) Make it clear which pair(s) of rules must be ordered for each deriva- tion to work as shown; you do not need to indicate those orderings that are not crucial.

Morphophonological Analysis of Somali - Phonology I | LIGN 111, Assignments of Linguistics

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LIGN 111 — Phonology UCSD, Winter 2010

LIGN 111 — Phonology UCSD, Winter 2010