An Optimality Theory Account of the Phonological Processes Involved in Hiatus Resolution in the Olutura Dialect of Luyia

Abstract

The aim of the present study was to determine if Optimality Theory (OT) constraint interaction was capable of explaining the phonological processes that are used in Hiatus resolution (HR) in Olutura, a dialect of Luyia, a Bantu language spoken in Western Kenya. HR refers to the strategies that are used to remove the unnatural pause that is created when two sound segments from different syllables come into contact. In the OT Correspondence Theory (CT) model, constraints are the conflicting forces whose ranking leads to the selection of the optimal or winning form from a list of possible candidates. The winning candidate is the one that satisfies the phonotactics of the language (in this case, Olutura) by meeting the specific requirements for HR which depend on the sound segments involved in the formation of the required syllable. The emergence of the best candidate reveals the specific phonological process that is used as a strategy for HR. Primary data was collected from first language speakers of Olutura, who were identified through purposive sampling. The results show that Olutura uses coalescence, glide formation, epenthesis, prothesis and deletion in HR and that the dialect allows a few cases of hiatus. The study concludes that the ranking of constraints in OT can help determine the phonological processes that are used as strategies for HR in the various environments where hiatus is not allowed in Olutura.