Metathesis in Language 2.0

Maltese

Language Family
Afro-Asiatic
Subgroup
Semitic, Arabic
Area
—

Summary

In verbs in which the medial radical consonant is a sonorant, i.e. [m, n, l, r], a sonorant and a following vowel metathesize.

Type(s) of metathesis

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

Case types and qualities

Examples

The stem of the plural imperfective typically consists of a three consonant cluster. However, in verbs in which the medial radical consonant is a sonorant, i.e. [m, n, l, r], a vowel occurs to its left and this has been attributed to metathesis. The quality of this vowel is identical to the underlying quality of the vocalic melody.

Imperfective Plural Singular Perfective Stem V Gloss
yo + korb + u yo + krob korob /o/ 'to groan'
ye + ħemz + u ye + ħmez ħemez /e/ 'to pin'
yi + tilf + u yi + tlef tilef /i/ 'to lose'
ya + ʔilb + u ya + ʔleb ʔaleb /i/ 'to overturn'

Conditions

No conditions could be found

Motivations

a. Berrondonner et al. (1983): Maltese metathesis is a one-step operation in which the sonorant consonant and vowel switch positions.

V(1) C(2) R(3) V(4) C(5) V(6) --> 1 2 4 3 5 6

b. Hume (1991): Metathesis in Maltese is the product of three elementary operations of non-linear phonology: delink, insert and associate.

e.g. Derivation of [yokorbu] 'they groan'

Lexical: input
(after plane conflation)

C
|
k
V
|
o
C
|
r
V
|
o
C
|
b
 


1st cycle:

Syncope
n/a



2nd cycle

input
yVè korob
Syncope
yV k rob
 
[o]'
Vocalic Mapping
yV k rob
 
\
 
[o]'
 


3rd cycle

input
yó krob u
Syncope
yo kr b u
 
[o]'
 


Post-lexical

Epenthesis
yo kVèr b u
 
[o]'
Vocalic Mapping
yo kVr bu
 
\
 
[o]'
Output
[yokórbu] 'they groan'
 

Symbols

Comments

Bibliography

  • Berrondonner, A. et al. 1983. Principles de grammaire polylectale. Lyon: Presses Universitaires de Lyon.
  • Brame, M. K. 1973. On stress assignment in two Arabic dialects. In S. R. Anderson and P. Kiparsky (eds.), A festschrift for Morris Halle. NY: Holt, Rinehart & Winston. 14-25.
  • Hume, Elizabeth. 1991. Metathesis in Maltese: Implications for the Strong Morphemic Plane Hypothesis. Proceedings of NELS 21: 157-172.
  • Puech. G. 1979. Les Parlers maltais. Ph.D. dissertation. Université Lyon II.