A Synchronic Study of the Major Phonological Processes of Kichonyi

Abstract

The research aimed at analyzing the phonological processes of Kichonyi sounds using the Natural Generative Phonology theory (NGP). It set out to describe the phonological processes involving vowels and consonants in Kichonyi and also to investigate the conditions under which these processes take place. The investigation focused on the Kichonyi language as it is spoken in Kilifi South constituency in Kilifi county of Kenya. The objectives of the study were to identify and describe the phonological processes involving consonants in Kichonyi, to identify and describe the phonological processes involving vowels in Kichonyi and to investigate the conditions under which these processes take place. The data used in this analysis was gathered in Ziani, Mwarakaya, Chasimba and Dzitsoni sub-locations. Being a preliminary study on the phonological processes of Kichonyi sounds, it used the NGP theory which was developed by Hooper in 1976. The NGP theory works within certain principles in eliminating abstractness, namely the true Generalization Condition, the No-ordering Condition and Strong Naturalness Condition. The study found out that Kichonyi has 29 consonant phonemes, 2 semi-vowels and 5 vowel phonemes. In addition, the phonological processes involving consonants are hormoganic nasal assimilation, labialization, Ganda law and Aspiration. The phonological processes involving vowels are vowel nasalization, vowel harmony, vowel insertion, vowel deletion and glide formation. The conditions under which these phonological processes take place are captured using phonological rules.