An autosegmental account of Zulu phonology

Abstract

This thesis describes the segmental and tonal phonology of Zulu. The theoretical framework employed in this description is the non-linear framework termed autosegmental phonology. The claim of autosegmental phonology is that certain phonological units or segments can be thought of as existing in an ordered sequence on a separate, independent tier from other phonological units or segments. Hence tones belong to a tonal tier whereas vowels and consonants belong to a segmental tier. Syllabic structure is represented in two tiers viz, a syllable and a nucleus tier, while the phonetic content of phonological features for segments is arrayed on different tiers, viz. feature, laryngeal, manner and place of articulation tiers. The restructuring of loan words revealed a principle that regulates the co-occurrence of non-click stops within a morphological root. This principle, termed Zulu consonant harmony, stipulates one laryngeal feature specification for all such stops. The study of the phonological features needed to distinguish the natural classes and phonological processes of Zulu is supplemented by a study of syllable structure conditions - those principles that adjudicate on the well formedness of core syllables. The phonological features selected point to a natural division of Zulu segments into simple and complex segments - affricates and prenasalized stops falling under the latter, Two major phonological processes of Zulu viz, vowel coalescence and palatalization are studied in detail. The conclusions reached are that vowel coalescence is best described in terms of two rules, viz. Vowel Lowering and Vowel Deletion, The palatalization of labials adjacent to and tautosyllabic with a palatal glide is phonologically conditioned, while that of alveolars and palatalization 'at a distance1 is morohologlcally conditioned,

The Zulu tonal system is described in terms of one underlying tone, viz. the high tone, with the low tone supplied by a default rule. Tonal rules are divided into phonological, i.e. those that apply to high tones and vowels only, and phonetic i,e. rules that apply to high and low tones and to vowels and consonants. Phonological rules are, in turn, divided into lexical rules, i.e. those that apply within the lexicon, and postlexical rules, i.e. those that apply after the syntactic component. The major lexical tone rules of Zulu are rules that shift or spread high tones either to the left or to the right, while two sets of postlexical tone rules are identified viz. those that apply phrase-medially and others which apply in phrase final position.