An Optimality Theory Account of Syllable Structure Constraints in Nkari

Authors

Abstract

This study provides an Optimality Theory (OT) account of the syllable structure constraints and phonotactic rules in Nkari, an under-documented Lower Cross language spoken in Ini Local Government Area of Akwa Ibom State, Nigeria. Adopting a qualitative-descriptive research design, primary data were gathered from native speakers through the 1700-wordlist of the Summer Institute of Linguistics (SIL) and audio recordings of natural speech. The data were transcribed using the International Phonetic Alphabet (IPA) and analyzed within the OT constraint-interaction framework. Findings reveal that the primary surface syllable inventory of Nkari comprises V, N, CV, CVC, CGV, CrV, CGVC, and CVVC structures. A central finding of the study is that CrV and CGV sequences exhibit different structural behaviour in reduplication. CrV sequences are analysed as genuine complex onsets, as evidenced by the deletion of the tap /r/ in the reduplicative prefix, whereas CGV sequences are analysed as consonant–nuclear glide configurations. The complete retention of the glide in reduplication supports its association with the nuclear domain rather than its analysis as a second consonant in a complex onset. The study further demonstrates that the distribution of these syllable structures is regulated by the interaction of markedness and faithfulness constraints within an Optimality-Theoretic grammar. The findings contribute to the formal description of Nkari phonology and provide additional evidence for understanding syllable structure and phonotactic variation within the Lower Cross language group.

Keywords

Syllable Structure, Optimality Theory, Nkari, Lower Cross Languages, Phonotactics, Reduplication, Sonority Hierarchy.

DOI

10.0000/wijamssae.v1i3.an-optimality-theory-account-of-syllable-structure

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