Homework 4: Lebanese Arabic Nouns
Due Wednesday, Sept. 5th in class
Data from Kenstowicz 1994, originally Haddad 1983. Some of the phenomena shown are
optional in reality. As usual, some tricky cases are omitted.
Instructions
? The goal is to use syllabification rules and rules that refer to syllable structure to account
for the differences between underlying and surface forms.
? Unlike usually, the underlying forms of these nouns are given.
? But the syllabification is not—that’s for you to figure out.
? Use the words that must be one syllable (because they have only one [+syllabic]
segment) to draw conclusions about possible onsets and codas in the language.
? Also review Section 4.4.4 Sonority Sequencing in Introductory Phonology.
Your write-up should include the following parts:
1. Describe differences between underlying and surface forms
? You can do this analogously to how you usually discuss allomorphy:
? E.g. Words that underlying begin with a nasal-stop sequence get [u] added to the
beginning (this is an imaginary case)
2. The 3-part syllabification rule for Lebanese Arabic, including…
? What counts as a possible onset?
? Describe in prose and give examples of possible (observed) onsets and impossible
onsets (sounds or sound sequences that were in the right environment to be an
onset but don’t become an onset, if any). Don’t just give a list, generalize the
patterns you observe.
? What counts as a possible coda?
? Again, describe in prose and give examples of possible and impossible (if any).
? You won’t be able to say what the bounding domain of Onset Formation or Coda
Formation is because we have only single-word data.
3. Other phonological rules, in notation (use features where more than one sound is
involved) and prose, to explain the alternations.
? All of your rules should refer to syllable structure in some way.
? You should only need two phonological rules apart from the syllabification rules!
4. Rule order
? Explain in prose
? Illustrate with Hasse diagram
? Say whether feeding, bleeding, counterfeeding, or counterbleeding (or none of those)
? Keep in mind that syllabification rules are usually persistent, meaning they reapply
after each of the other phonological rules
5. Derivations
? Show syllable boundaries in all surface forms (you can use “.”)
? Make sure you also include derivations for some morphologically complex forms!
Data
underlying surface
1. /da?s/ [da?s] ‘lesson’
2. /hawl/ [hawl] ‘around’
3. /?aj?/ [?aj?] ‘other than’
4. /xawf/ [xawf] ‘fear’
5. /bajt/ [bajt] ‘home’
6. /lajk/ [lajk] ‘look’
7. /xajl/ [xajl] ‘horses’
8. /?ajn/ [?ajn] ‘eye’
9. /mawz/ [mawz] ‘bananas’
10. /?ajb/ [?ajb] ‘shame’
11. /daw?/ [daw?] ‘turn’
12. /lawm/ [lawm] ‘blame’
13. /?aj?/ [?aj?] ‘army’
14. /?awd/ [?awd] ‘leading’
15. /hilm/ [hilm] ‘dream’
16. /balf/ [balf] ‘bluffing’
17. /ha?f/ [ha?f] ‘letter’
18. /fils/ [fils] ‘small coin’
19. /tal?/ [tal?] ‘snow’
20. /?amz/ [?amz] ‘symbol’
21. /?i?s/ [?i?s] ‘wedding’
22. /ma??/ [ma??] ‘meadow’
23. /?ins/ [?ins] ‘humans’
24. /?in?/ [?in?] ‘wantonness’
25. /kalb/ [kalb] ‘dog’
26. /fa?k/ [fa?k] ‘rubbing’
27. /hank/ [hank] ‘jaw’
28. /?ust?/ [?ust?] ‘fee’
29. /xas?b/ [xas?b] ‘fertile’
30. /?ild/ [?ild] ‘weather’
31. /hamd/ [hamd] ‘praise’
32. /kizb/ [kizb] ‘lying’
33. /mu?t?/ [mu?t?] ‘comb’
34. /lift/ [lift] ‘turnip
35. /da?b/ [da?b] ‘road’
36. /bint/ [bint] ‘girl’
37. /wizk/ [wizk] ‘win’
38. /ma?d/ [ma?d] ‘glory’
39. /safk/ [safk] ‘bloodletting’
40. /?awj/ [?awi] ‘barking’
41. /dalw/ [dalu] ‘pail’
42. /?a?w/ [?a?u] ‘puppy’
43. /hamw/ [hamu] ‘cold sores’
44. /?afw/ [?afu] ‘pardon’
45. /?abw/ [?abu] ‘basement’
46. /nafj/ [nafi] ‘denying’
47. /hakj/ [haki] ‘talking’
48. /?alj/ [?ali] ‘washing’
49. /ba?j/ [ba?i] ‘sharpening’
50. /banj/ [bani] ‘building’
51. /?amj/ [?ami] ‘throwing’
52. /ha?j/ [ha?i] ‘stuffing’
53. /?azj/ [?azi] ‘hurting’
54. /?atj/ [?ati] ‘seaming’
55. /himl/ [himil] ‘load’
56. /nasl/ [nasil] ‘progeny’
57. /?ikl/ [?ikil] ‘shape’
58. /haf?/ [hafi?] ‘digging’
59. /zik?/ [ziki?] ‘souvenir’
60. /?ifl/ [?ifil] ‘lock’
61. /?akl/ [?akil] ‘food’
62. /nis?/ [nisi?] ‘eagle’
63. /hib?/ [hibi?] ‘ink’
64. /?atm/ [?atim] ‘darkness’
65. /dafn/ [dafin] ‘burial’
66. /?ibn/ [?ibin] ‘son’
67. /?ism/ [?isim] ‘name’
68. /hikm/ [hikim] ‘ruling’
69. /?amn/ [?amin] ‘peace’
70. /hu?n/ [hu?in] ‘fortress’
71. /?ikn/ [?ikin] ‘nook’
72. /nasf/ [nasif] ‘detonation’
73. /natf/ [natif] ‘plucking’
74. /?a?f/ [?a?if] ‘trembling’
75. /?akf/ [?akif] ‘leaning to’
76. /nas?/ [nasi?] ‘weaving’
77. /ha?z/ [ha?iz] ‘booking’
78. /habk/ [habik] ‘weaving’
79. /fatk/ [fatik] ‘eradicating’
80. /nadb/ [nadib] ‘wailing’
81. /?ikb/ [?ikib] ‘riding’
Make sure you can also handle these morphologically complex forms:
82. /da?s-ak/ [da?sak] ‘your lesson’
83. /da?s-na/ [da?sna] ‘our lesson’
84. /?akl-ak/ [?aklak] ‘your food’
85. /?akl-na/ [?akilna] ‘our food’
86. /kan-l-na/ [kanilna] ‘he was for us’
References
Haddad, Ghassan. 1983. Epenthesis and sonority in Lebanese Arabic. Studies in the Linguistic
Sciences 14. 57–88.
Kenstowicz, Michael. 1994. Phonology in Generative Grammar. Oxford: Blackwell.
