Metathesis in Language 2.0

Arabic (Palestinian)

Language Family
Afro-Asiatic
Subgroup
Semitic
Area
—

Summary

The root shape CCVC is metathesized to CVCC when a vowel-initial suffix is attached and when the root vowel is high.

Type(s) of metathesis

Type Status Optionality Position Location
a. CV Synchronic Obligatory Adjacent Root-internal

Case types and qualities

Examples

a. Verbs

unsuffixed suffixed
(CCVC) (CVCC)
2 sg. m. subj. 2 sg. f. subj. 3 pl.
tú-drus tú-durs-i yú-durs-u ‘study’
tí-lbis tí-libs yí-libs-u ‘wear’



b. Nouns

fílfil
‘pepper’
fílifl-i
‘my pepper’
míɕmiɕ
‘apricots’
míɕimɕ-u
‘his apricots’
 

Conditions

a. Metathesis applies when the root vowel metathesizing with a consonant is high. When the root vowel is the low vowel /a/, metathesis fails to apply.

tí-fham-i
*tí-fahm-i
 
tí-fham-u
*tí-fahm-u
 
yí-fham-u
*yí-fahm-u
 

Motivations

No motivations could be found

Symbols

V́ = stressed vowel
ɕ = voiceless alveo-palatal fricative

Comments

- It seems that any consonant can metathesize with a vowel if the condition is met, as I read the note. But I put down manner and place of articulation of consonants undergoing metathesis, based on the data, for now. Check the original source.
- According to Kenstowicz (1981), there are data which require positing a rule whereby unstressed high vowels are deleted in addition to a rule of vowel epenthesis to break up triconsonantal and pre-pausal biconsonantal clusters. Kenstowicz claims that these two rules are independently motivated and will derive the correct forms without a rule of metathesis:
"However, a grammar appealing to a rule of metathesis can hardly be considered an improvement... For it is clear that the metathesis rule merely duplicates the work of syncope and epenthesis."
The other source on these data, Shohei (1991) was written after this article, of course, so we should look back to see if they provide a compelling reason for describing this as metathesis. - According to Kenstowicz (1981), there are data which require positing a rule whereby unstressed high vowels are deleted in addition to a rule of vowel epenthesis to break up triconsonantal and pre-pausal biconsonantal clusters. Kenstowicz claims that these two rules are independently motivated and will derive the correct forms without a rule of metathesis:
"However, a grammar appealing to a rule of metathesis can hardly be considered an improvement... For it is clear that the metathesis rule merely duplicates the work of syncope and epenthesis."
The other source on these data, Shohei (1991) was written after this article, of course, so we should look back to see if they provide a compelling reason for describing this as metathesis.

Bibliography

  • Herzallah, Rukayyah 1987. Syncope and epenthesis in Palestinian Arabic: an instance of dericational constraint violation. ms. Cornell University, Ithaca, New York.
  • Kenstowicz, Michael. 1981. Vowel harmony in Palestinian Arabic: a suprasegmental analysis. Linguistics 19 (1981). 449-465.
  • Yoshida, Shohei. 1993 Licensing of empty nuclei: The case of Palestinian vowel harmony. The Linguistic Review 10. 127-159.