Hindko Syllabification and the Sonority Sequencing Principle

Abstract

This paper aims to analyze the syllabification rules of Hindko dialect spoken in the region of Tanawal, Mansehra, Pakistan. The data was collected from two dictionaries, written in Peshawar and Abbottabad dialects of Hindko, and also by noting down the daily conversation of native speakers.  It was phonemically transcribed and the syllable boundaries were marked. Later, the syllables were examined in light of the Sonority Sequencing Principle (SSP). The analysis shows that Tanoli Hindko syllables observe the universal principle of SSP. No example has been found which violates the SSP in its root words. The findings exhibit that the language allows a maximum of two consonants at each edge of the syllable.