Spreading as a hiatus resolution strategy in Shona

ABSTRACT

This article analyses the distribution of hiatus breakers [j w ɦ ʔ] in Karanga, a dialect of Shona, a Bantu language spoken in Zimbabwe. Hiatus resolution through consonant epenthesis is frequently described and analysed as default insertion or spreading. In default insertion, all the featural material of the epenthetic segment is inserted whereas in spreading the input segments supply all the features. There is an implicit assumption that spreading is a preserve of the oral glides [j w]. This article argues that all the Shona hiatus breakers ([j w ɦ ʔ]) are products of spreading. The glide [j] is a product of [coronal] spreading from [i] and [w] is a product of [labial] spreading from either [o] or [u]. The glottal stop [ʔ] and glottal fricative [ɦ] are products of [pharyngeal] spreading from [a] with concomitant insertion of the feature [constricted glottis] for [ʔ], and spreading of [spread glottis] via [a̤] for [ɦ].

Keywords:

• hiatus resolution
• spreading
• syllable structure
• epenthesis
• Optimality Theory
• Shona
• Feature Geometry
• Bantu languages
• Onset