Phonological Processes in Acquisition of Saraiki as L1

Abstract

This study renders an OT  based analysis of productions of a 2;06 year old child SZ acquiring Saraiki as L1. Substitution, deletion and insertion are major processes operative in the grammar of SZ. Substitution occurs in consonants in thatrhotics are substituted with laterals  and [s z] with [??]), although [?] does not exist in Saraiki.Metathesis is another phonological process occurring in the speech of the child.An example of the emergence of the unmarked (McCarthy & Prince, 1994) is that she inserts a vowel in CVC words changing them into CV.CV. A labial harmony in vowels and consonants exists in SZ's production regardless of direction, domain or place of articulation of the target. Deletion occurs to simplify a complex branching onset. Obstruent+sonorant clusters in onsets are simplified by deletion of the sonorant. Unstressed short vowels delete in certain contexts. Syllable deletion occurs in tri-syllabic words. Normally, the unstressed syllable deletes. However, in a disyllabic word, if the syllable which is target of deletion starts with an obstruent and that which is to be retained has a sonorant in the onset, the obstruent is retained but the sonorant deletes and if both syllables have obstruents in the onset, the unstressed one deletes. These examples show that in SZ's grammar the sonority sequence generalization is crude which is blind to sonority difference between plosives and fricatives. These data are analyzed in OT  perspective (Prince & Smolensky, 2004). The phonological processes occurring in stages are analyzed using Harmonic Serialism.