Citation: Tijjani SALISU & Musa GREMA (2018). A Study of Automatic Palatalisation and Assimilation in Bade Language. Yobe Journal of Language, Literature and Culture (YOJOLLAC), Vol. 6. Department of African Languages and Linguistics, Yobe State University, Damaturu, Nigeria. ISSN 2449-0660
A STUDY OF AUTOMATIC ASSIMILATION
AND PALATALIZATION IN BADE LANGUAGE
Tijjani SALISU
and
Musa GREMA, PhD
Abstract
This paper examines the existence of
assimilation and palatalization in Bade central dialect (Gashua Dialect).
Assimilation and palatalization are being considered as some of the
phonological processes that are clearly observed to operate in Bade central
dialect as it were in some languages. The paper discussed these processes
within the framework of descriptive phonology. It also employed unstructured
interview and unobtrusive observation as methods of data collection.
Assimilation constitutes an important point of arguments to the linguist in
different languages. The processes treated in the paper include Assimilation
and its types namely, (vowel assimilation or vowel harmony and homorganic nasal
assimilation) and palatalization (Automatic and Non automatic). Some aspects
discussed under vowel assimilation are; /ayèsa/[1]
→ [ayàsa], “sand” /yìyà/ → [yàyà] “brother”. In homorganic nasal assimilation
issues like /kunbàk/ → [kwumbàk] “river”, /nkiiwù/[2]
→ [ŋkjàiwù] “that one”, /xankù/ → [xaŋkwù] “sew” other
examples discussed in the paper include /murnyì/ → [murɲjì] “tongue” and /ɲyàmi/ → [ɲjàmi] “fat” while under palatalization, issues like /askiyà/ → [askijjà] “calf” and
/kangәgi/ →[kaŋgәgji]
“cameleon” and finally under non automatic palatalization example such as /pәlàta/ → [pǝlàʧànòn] “fulanis” and
/makwàtàn/ → [makwàʧnàn] “young man” were
also discussed in the paper. In view of that the research reveals that
assimilation and palatalization takes place in Bade Central dialects.
1.0 Introduction
A lot
has so far been written on Bade language, one of the earliest works on Bade
language Schuh (1981) which was on dialect, Schuh (1978) was on Morphology and
Syntax and Schuh (1997) which were directed on the changes on obstruent voicing
in Bade (western dialect) and Ngizim. But this paper is more concerned with
assimilation and palatalization processes that are found to operate in Bade
language. This constitutes an important part in the Phonological processes
which cut across many languages (like English, Hausa, French, Kanuri e.t.c) of
the world with slight differences from one language to another. Phonological
processes are necessitated by some changes that occur not only within one or
two morphemes but the changes also occur in some environments.
Phonological
processes can be described as the changes that occur when speech sounds are
being organized into some particular linguistic forms or patterns to provide
meaning. Phonological processes can also be described as the ways of organizing
speech sounds into some linguistic patterns so as to function effectively in a
given language.
The
intra dialect variations that are found to exist in the dialect under study
(i.e. Gashua dialect) were clearly seen in the pair of words selected from the
Grund wordlist. These alternations have made it possible to come up with this
analysis. Native speaker of Bade is at of liberty to use either of the two
variants in their day-to-day conversations depending on the purposes or
contexts of the usage.
The aim of this paper is to examine the
existence of assimilation and palatalization processes in Bade language with a
view to analyzing and discussing them within the framework of descriptive
phonology.
2.0 Discussion
Based on the data
collected during the field work, it has been observed that Bade language has
the following phonological processes; assimilation and its types such as:
palatalization (automatic and non-automatic) labialization (automatic) and
depalatalization. Others being deletion, insertion and metathesis. However,
this study is more concerned with assimilation and palatalization (both
automatic and non automatic).
Lass (1984, p.
171-188) considers the term phonological processes as more difficult to capture
in theoretical terms. However, he considers this traditional nomenclature as
practical in the true sense of the word. This is because phonological processes
according to him involve synchronic and diachronic changes which should not be
treated the same. Lass therefore discusses phonological processes under the
following: assimilation/dissimilation with types identified as acoustic,
strength, lenition and fortition, whole-segment process insertion, deletion,
reordering, complex process and abbreviation notation, natural process,
evaluation and explanation.
Schane (1973, p. 61)
stresses that some phonological processes can be discuss through perception,
some segments which are maximally differentiated which perception is somehow
opposed to some extent opposed to one another are more stable than those which are
less differentiated. The process is ascertained when some morphemes are
combined to form words; the segments of neighbouring morphemes become
juxtaposed and sometimes undergo change. These changes occur in environment
other than those, in which two morphemes come together, for example word
initial, word medial and word final position or the relation of segments.
Schane therefore discussed phonological processes under assimilation, syllable
structure, weakening, strengthening and neutralization.
2.1 Assimilation in Bade
Different
scholars have expressed different views on assimilation processes. For instance
the process usually changes a segment from its original form to take a feature
or features of its neighbouring segment, i.e. a consonant may take a feature
from a vowel or a consonant (cf. Schane, 1973, p. 49).
These
are catch-all terms almost any process can count as one of the other depending
on context broadly, in assimilation segment becomes more like (or identical to)
another (or two become like each other) (Lass, 1984, p. 171-175).
Crystal
(1988, p. 25) discusses assimilation as a general term in Phonetics which
refers to the influence exercised by one sound segment upon the articulation of
another so that the sounds become more alike or identical.
One
will find that in assimilatory process one segment may take a feature of
neighbouring segments. A consonant may take a feature or look like a
neighbouring vowel or consonant, or a vowel takes a feature of a neighbouring
consonant or a vowel. A consonant may influence another consonant or a
neighbouring vowel (Fagge, 2012, p. 15).
Three
assimilation processes were observed to operate in Bade language i.e. vowel
assimilation (or vowel harmony), voicing assimilation and homorganic nasal
assimilation. As discuss in examples below:
2.1.1 Vowel Assimilation in
Bade
Vowel harmony or
vowel assimilation simply refers to a situation where a vowel in one part of a
word may influence other vowels to be articulated similarly even though there
may be other sounds between them (Crystal, 1988:25). This phenomenon is
illustrated in example (1) below:
Example I:
|
Variant
(i) |
Variant
(ii) |
Sound
Change |
Gloss |
|
|
a) |
/ayèsa/ |
[ayàsa] |
/e/ → /a/ |
sand |
|
b) |
/yìyà/ |
[yàyà] |
/i/ → /a/ |
brother |
|
c) |
/bargùtú/ |
[burgwùtu] |
/a/ → /u/ |
sue |
|
d) |
/cipәnà/ |
[cipinà] |
/ә/ → /i/ |
name sake |
|
e) |
/xivәlu/ |
[xәvәlu] |
/i/ → /ә/ |
pointing at |
In
the example 1 above we witness a situation where vowel assimilation or vowel
harmony operates in Bade language. This type of assimilation is a distant one
where, the influence moves across some intervening segments, a typical example
of regressive assimilation. In the first two examples (1a and b) the preceding
/a/ regressively assimilates /e/ and /i/ respectively while in the third
example (1c) the preceding /u/ assimilates [a] in the nucleus of the first
syllable. In the fourth example (1d), the assimilation is a progressive one
where /i/ influence or assimilates [ә] in the word medial position distinct
to the examples provided earlier. In the fifth example (1e) the segment /ә/ assimilates [i] in the nucleus of
the first example.
2.1.2
Voicing Assimilation in Bade
Voicing assimilation is another type of
assimilation which was observed to operate in Bade language. The process simply
refers to a situation where two segments mostly stops and fricative share the
same articulation feature of the state of the glottis. That is both the
consonants becoming uniformly voiced or voiceless in the word medial position
(cf. Sani, 2005, p. 37).
This is a typical example of contact
assimilation as we can see in example (2) below:
Example: 2
|
No. |
Variant
(i) |
Variant
(ii) |
Sound
Change |
Gloss |
|
a) |
/ŋsgәl/ |
[ŋzgәl] |
/s/ → /z/ |
leg |
|
b) |
/kùsgùzu/ |
[kùzgùzu] |
/s/ → /z/ |
learn |
|
c) |
/ŋsgau/ |
[ŋzgau] |
/s/ → /z/ |
know |
|
d) |
/mŋzkŋtu/ |
[mŋskŋtu] |
/z/ → /s/ |
turn |
|
e) |
/ŋzku/ |
[ŋsku] |
/z/ → /s/ |
sky |
|
f) |
/bàgsau/ |
[bàksau] |
/g/ → /k/ |
bad thing |
In example (2a, b and c) above a voiced segment
in the word medial position, assimilates a voiceless consonant as a result of
contact between the segments, so also in the last three examples in (2d, e and
f) the voiceless consonant assimilates its voiced counterpart in the word
medial position to turn them into voiceless ones.
2.1.3
Homorganic Nasal Assimilation
One of
the common natural or automatic morphophonological processes is nasal
assimilation in which a nasal consonant shares a common place of articulation
with the immediately following consonant word-medially (Abubakar, 1983).
The nasal consonant
becomes homorganic with the following consonant in these environments in Bade
language. For example:
Nasal
consonant /n/ becomes [m] before bilabials; /n/ is realized as [n] before
alveolar segment; /n/ consonant is realized as palatal nasal [ɲ] before a palatal
sound and nasal /n/ phoneme is converted to /ŋ/ before a velar segment. The
nasal consonants become homorganic with the following, non-syllable segment
sharing the same place of articulation word medially (Baba, 1998:35). As seen
in examples (3) below:
Example 3
|
No. |
Variant (i) |
Variant (ii) |
Sound Change |
Gloss |
|
a) |
/anfò:wa/ |
[amfò:wa] |
/n/ → /m/ |
breath |
|
b) |
/kunbàk/ |
[kwumbàk] |
/n/ → /m/ |
river |
|
c) |
/tànbaltù/ |
[tàmbaltù] |
/n/ → /m/ |
push |
|
d) |
/nkâu/ |
[ŋkâu] |
/n/ → /ŋ/ |
this |
|
e) |
/nkiiwù/ |
[ŋkjiiwu] |
/n/ → /ŋ/ |
that |
|
f) |
/cangàr/ |
[caŋgàr] |
/n/ → /ŋ/ |
louse |
|
g) |
/súngúxù/ |
[súŋgwúxù] |
/n/ → /ŋ/ |
push |
|
h) |
/xánkù/ |
[xáŋkwù] |
/n/ → /ŋ/ |
sew |
|
i) |
/nyàmí/ |
[ɲjàmí] |
/n/ → /ɲ/ |
fat |
|
j) |
/vànyì/ |
[vàɲjì] |
/n/ → /ɲ/ |
mountain |
|
k) |
/marnyì/ |
[marɲjì] |
/n/ → /ɲ/ |
tongue |
The
above examples (3a - k) are typical examples of homorganic nasal assimilation.
In example (3a - c) a nasal consonant/ n/ becomes [m] before a labial
consonants i.e. /b/,/f/ and /p/. In examples (3d - h) a nasal segment /n/ is
also converted or realised as [ŋ] before a plain velar segments, with the
exception of /ƙ/ sound which is
absent in Bade language, the process only affects /k/ and /g/ respectively. In
the examples (3i - k) the nasal sound /n/ is realized as [ɲ]
in word medial position, when it occurs before a palatal segment i.e. /j/
sound.
3.0 Automatic Palatalisation
in Bade
Palatalisation
is also a sub-part of the phonological process which involves plain velar
consonants: /k/, /q/ and /g/. These are said to be palatalised when they are
followed by the front vowels /i/ or /e/ (Abubakar, 1999, p. 2).
The
tongue position of the front vowels influences the adjacent velar consonant
automatically. It is a palatal articulation which is added to a non-palatal
consonant under certain condition (Baba, 1998, p.39).
This process is
illustrated in example (4) below:
Example: 4
|
Variant
(i) |
Variant
(ii) |
Sound
Change |
Gloss |
|
|
a) |
/ŋkiiwù/ |
[ŋkjiiwù] |
/k/ → /kj/ |
that |
|
b) |
/keekâi/ |
[kjeekâi] |
/k/ → /kj/ |
bicycle |
|
c) |
/ackìtu/ |
[ackjìtu] |
/k/ → /kj/ |
bother |
|
d) |
/askiiyà/ |
[askjiiyà] |
/k/ → /kj/ |
calf |
|
e) |
/kaangŋgi/ |
[kaaŋgŋgji] |
/g/ → /gj/ |
chameleon |
|
f) |
/bŋntŋgi/ |
[bŋntŋgji] |
/g/ → /gj/ |
gun |
|
g) |
/sàgí/ |
[sàgjí] |
/g/ → /gj/ |
razor |
In
the examples (4a - g) above, we witness a situation where a palatal
articulation is added to a non palatal segment under certain condition, that is
when a back consonant such as /k/ and /g/ are followed by a front vowel, they
automatically become palatalised to [kj] and [gj]
respectively. Note that, the [q] sound is absent in Bade language, therefore
the process of palatalisation only affects k/ and /g/ as we have seen in the
examples (4a - g) above.
3.1
Bade Non Automatic Palatalisation
This is
the second type of palatalisation which applies across morpheme boundary. The
segments which undergo this type of palatalisation are the non-sonorant
coronals: /s/, /t/, /d/ and /z/ and labio-velar /w/. These segments changes to
/ʃ/, /ʧ/ and /ʤ/
respectively. Let’s take the following examples in (5) below:
Example: 5
|
No. |
Variant (i) |
Variant (ii) |
Sound Change |
Gloss |
|
a) |
/mantàn/ |
[mamʧiinàn] |
/t/ → /ʧ/ |
dead person |
|
b) |
/pàlàta/ |
[pàlàʧinòn] |
/t/ → /ʧ/ |
Fulanis |
|
c) |
/atlkwàmtù/ |
[atlkwànʧi] |
/t/ → /ʧ/ |
become foolish |
|
d) |
/makwàtàn/ |
[makwàʧinàn] |
/t/ → /ʧ/ |
young man |
In the
examples (5a - d) above, the process of non automatic palatalisation was
observed to operate in Bade language it occurs across morpheme boundary with
specific reference to derivation of plurals, adjectives and verbs
transformation as we can see in examples (5a - d).
Example
(5a) is a morphologically condition aspect that change /t/ → [ʧ]
in verb transformation where a verbal noun / mamʧiinàn/ ‘dead person’
was derived from a verb known as / mantàn/ means ‘death’. In example (5b) is a
plural formation where a word is inflected from a singular to plural form that
is /palata/ → [pàlàʧinòn] means ‘fulanis’ this a typical
example of non automatic palatalisation, where segment /t/ change [ʧ].
In
example (5c) we witness a situation where an adjective is derived from noun
i.e. /átlkwàmtù/ ‘fool’ [atlkwànʧí] makes or become
foolish. The Same process was applied to the example (5d) where /t/ changes to
[ʧ] across morpheme boundary.
Going
by the above examples in (5a) to (5d), only alternation of /t/ to [ʧ]
was found to operate in Bade language
4.0 Conclusion
This
paper established clearly the existence of assimilation and palatalisation
(both automatic and non automatic) processes with examples in Bade language. It
also discussed aforementioned processes within the framework of descriptive
phonology, which is the fulcrum of our research findings. The research unveils
that Bade phonology as any other natural language is very rich in terms of
consonantal and vowel description. Similarly it shows that nearly all the
phonological processes that operate in other Chadic languages (particularly Hausa,
Angas, Bura, e.t.c) also operate in Bade language. Quite a number of findings
(such as assimilation and its types like, vowel assimilation, voicing
assimilation, homorganic nasal assimilation as well as palatalizations both
automatic and non automatic) were been revealed and illustrated by this
research with clear examples. This research will of course serve as a starting
point for the linguists or researchers who wish to conduct a similar research
in any other language.
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