Henry Nandelenga - Academia.edu (original) (raw)
Papers by Henry Nandelenga
International journal of research and innovation in social science, Dec 31, 2022
Journal of Linguistics, Literary and Communication Studies
Previous phonological studies have indicated that a sequence of dissimilar hetero-syllabic/morphe... more Previous phonological studies have indicated that a sequence of dissimilar hetero-syllabic/morphemic vowels are dispreferred across languages because it creates vowel hiatus. As a result, it may engender multiple repair mechanisms. However, the repair mechanisms do not apply liberally; they may be resisted in certain positions when segmental deletion or featural change fail to take place. Segments in phonetically and psycholinguistically privileged positions invariably resist such repair strategies that may be quite regular in the grammar of the language. In this study, a reanalysis of data from Lubukusu language (Bantu, Kenya) shows that a Positional Faithfulness (PF) account within an Optimality Theory (OT) framework may be felicitous in explaining both the initiation and resistance to the said repair processes. The findings indicate that the positional faithfulness of the vowel in question may determine whether it is deleted or which features may be changed based on a single cons...
International Journal of Multidisciplinary Research and Development, Nov 1, 2019
World journal of innovative research, Jan 26, 2022
Songs perform key roles in the society such as entertainment and education but can project certai... more Songs perform key roles in the society such as entertainment and education but can project certain ideologies and stereotypes. This study examined the objectification of women in selected Kipsigis popular songs. The researcher purposively picked 15 songs from speakers of Kipsigis popular artists, 30 respondents and five composers. An interview schedule was used to obtain the relevant information from the respondents and composers of the songs. The study was guided by Politeness Theory by Brown and Levinson (1978). The results of the study indicated that artists objectify women as instruments, female sex organ as food and a place while sexual intercourse is portrayed as a journey, war and work to mitigate their offensiveness. It is believed that the findings of this study would be of great significance in information dissemination to the media, schools and churches in censuring and sensitization of songs that objectify women. Also, the results of this study is expected to be instrumental in mitigating offensive expressions that cause harm and shame to the listeners of Kipsigis popular songs through proper interpretation of words and phrases that objectify women.
International Journal of Multidisciplinary Research and Development, 2020
Journal of Linguistics and Foreign Languages, Jul 1, 2021
Journal of Law, Policy and Globalization, 2022
The inalienable right to one's mother tongue has long been acknowledged universally. This was fir... more The inalienable right to one's mother tongue has long been acknowledged universally. This was first captured by the UN's 'Universal Declaration of Human Rights' as early as 1948 and recently reinforced through the 'Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous People' in 2006. The constitution of Kenya 2010, in The Bill of Rights (BR), reiterates this position by stating that the rights and fundamental freedoms belong to each individual and are not granted by the state. Mother tongue is one of the Human Rights. In essence, the constitution is expected to provide a basis upon which mother tongue can play a central role in the legal and judicial system of the country. However, mother tongue language remains on the periphery as the language of the law not to mention its subordinate role both as a legal language and the language of the administration of justice. This paper examines the current low status assumed by mother tongue in the Kenyan context within the Forensic Linguistics perspective. It is argued that there is an attempt at forced assimilation of mother tongue language to the dominant English language in our justice system. This process is at the heart of human rights violations as envisaged in the constitutional provisions on equality and freedom against discrimination as per article 27(4) of the Bill of Rights. The right to use of one's mother tongue in the legal process is a fundamental pillar of equality and freedom against discrimination. It ensures that every person is equal before the law and has the right to equal protection and benefit of the law. The state players, therefore, have an obligation to protect the mother language through enforceable legislation as contemplated by the constitution of Kenya Article 7(3). The same constitution must be reexamined and amended to put mother tongue at the core of judicial administration and legal practice in the country.
Journal of Literature, Languages and Linguistics, 2022
The International Journal of Humanities & Social Studies
IOSR Journal of Humanities and Social Science, 2014
Journal of Literature, Languages and Linguistics, 2021
In a number of languages, vowel harmony is generally initiated in certain positions that are psyc... more In a number of languages, vowel harmony is generally initiated in certain positions that are psycholinguistically privileged such as root-initial syllables. Such positions not only trigger vowel harmony but may also block or fail to undergo vowel harmony process initiated elsewhere even when such a process is regular or expected in the phonology of the language. In the rule-based derivational analysis, such phenomenon was explained in serial rules that were often blind to outputs and could produce non-recurrent harmony types. Similarly, the derivational approach often failed to account for the privileged status of harmony triggering vowels. In a Positional Faithfulness (PF) account adopted in this study, it is argued that positional sensitive harmony is due to a highranked positional faithfulness constraint; IDENT-IO, (F) in an Optimality Theoretic Grammar. In this paper, based on Lubukusu (a Bantu language of Kenya), it is shown that vowel height harmony that is initiated in the root initial syllable can best be accounted for by recourse to constraint interaction in which positional specific faithfulness constraints dominates general faithfulness and markedness constraints. Vowels in root initial syllables may initiate or block vowel height harmony based on a universal constraint ranking for root-initial faithfulness. The analysis confirms that faithfulness constraints that are positional sensitive may be responsible for root induced vowel height harmony because such positions are psycholinguistically privileged in general language processing.
Asian Journal of Social Science and Management Technology, 2022
Phonological studies have previously shown that a sequence of a nasal plus certain consonants (es... more Phonological studies have previously shown that a sequence of a nasal plus certain consonants (especially voiceless obstruent) in a syllable onset position is considered marked cross-linguistically. As a result, it may trigger a number of repair mechanisms which have been dubbed *NC effects/resolution. However, what is of interest in this study is that the repair mechanisms are not unconstrained; they seem to target some sound segments for deletion or feature change in certain positions and not others. Segments in psycholinguistically privileged positions invariably resist these repair strategies that are, in fact, expected and regular in the phonology of the language. In this study, data from Lubukusu language (Bantu, Kenya) is used to argue that a Positional Faithfulness (PF) account within an Optimality Theory (OT) framework is required in explaining both the blocking and triggering of such repair processes. The findings indicate that the positional faithfulness of the segments in question determines which one is deleted, merged or which segmental features may be changed in the phonological repairs based on a single constraint hierarchy in an Optimal Grammar of the language.
Journal of Literature, Languages and Linguistics, 2021
In the acquisition of any language, the child is faced with multiple challenges. Among these is s... more In the acquisition of any language, the child is faced with multiple challenges. Among these is segmenting a continuous stream of speech into individual sound segments and articulating consonant clusters and polysyllabic words. Due to limitations of cognitive and physiological development, the child has to simplify the acquisition task via alternations and changes to the adult input. This may naturally lead to a number of phonological processes. However, the attested phonological processes differ from language to language and from one child to another. The objective of this study was to address these issues by examining phonological process that accompany the acquisition of Kiswahili phonemic inventory and the syllable structure. The paper is based on data from a longitudinal study of two siblings from one year up to five years of age. The two subjects were purposefully sampled and the data collected by using parental diary, an audio-recorder and a word list. Couched within the Optimality Theory (OT; Prince & Smolensky, 2004), the data was analyzed in conventional OT tableaux. The optimal output was assessed through comparative evaluation of harmony based on Kiswahili specific constraint hierarchy. The findings indicate that transitional grammars exhibit different phonological processes at different stages as the child re-ranks the constraints to approximate to the adult norm. Children initially rank markedness constraints above the faithfulness constraints which results in alternations and therefore, phonological processes that ease the task of acquisition. In this process, the output is typically the unmarked forms that are simpler in structure, easier to produce and perceive and thus, easier to acquire. These processes reduce and ultimately disappear as the child demotes the markedness constraints below the faithfulness constraints attaining adult-like phonologies.
The inalienable right to one's mother tongue has long been acknowledged universally. This was fir... more The inalienable right to one's mother tongue has long been acknowledged universally. This was first captured by the UN's 'Universal Declaration of Human Rights' as early as 1948 and recently reinforced through the 'Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous People' in 2006. The constitution of Kenya 2010, in The Bill of Rights (BR), reiterates this position by stating that the rights and fundamental freedoms belong to each individual and are not granted by the state. Mother tongue is one of the Human Rights. In essence, the constitution is expected to provide a basis upon which mother tongue can play a central role in the legal and judicial system of the country. However, mother tongue language remains on the periphery as the language of the law not to mention its subordinate role both as a legal language and the language of the administration of justice. This paper examines the current low status assumed by mother tongue in the Kenyan context within the Forensic Linguistics perspective. It is argued that there is an attempt at forced assimilation of mother tongue language to the dominant English language in our justice system. This process is at the heart of human rights violations as envisaged in the constitutional provisions on equality and freedom against discrimination as per article 27(4) of the Bill of Rights. The right to use of one's mother tongue in the legal process is a fundamental pillar of equality and freedom against discrimination. It ensures that every person is equal before the law and has the right to equal protection and benefit of the law. The state players, therefore, have an obligation to protect the mother language through enforceable legislation as contemplated by the constitution of Kenya Article 7(3). The same constitution must be reexamined and amended to put mother tongue at the core of judicial administration and legal practice in the country.
The International Journal of Humanities and Social Studies, 2021
Syntax-Semantic-Pragmatic Interface of Dholuo Anaphors 1. Introduction Anaphors comprise of refle... more Syntax-Semantic-Pragmatic Interface of Dholuo Anaphors 1. Introduction Anaphors comprise of reflexives and reciprocals which may be lexical or non-lexical. They cannot be interpreted alone, thus they attain meaning via reference to another syntactic unit within the same sentence. In other words, anaphors depend on another element that comes before them for interpretation (Haegemann 1994, p.192; Poole, 2002, p.108). This is because the defining feature of anaphors is its accessibility to the subject within a particular context. Hence, the interpretation of anaphors involves syntax which ensures that the anaphors and the elements they attain reference from are well arranged. Then semantically, the string of words containing the anaphors must be meaningful. Thereafter, different meanings interpreted depend on the contexts presented during the utterances, pragmatics. From this angle, anaphors interpretation is dependent on the interaction of syntax, semantics and pragmatics. Firstly, it is important to note that anaphors have been one of the areas of interest for linguistic research, and many questions have been raised on the relationship between Syntax, Semantics and Pragmatics (Huang, 2000). According to Huang (2006), in the interpretation of anaphors, factors such as syntactic, semantic and pragmatic are important since the structure of the sentence enables one to interprete it well. The interpretation may vary depending on the environment where the utterance was produced. Secondly, anaphors are found in African languages including Dholuo, a Nilotic language spoken in Kenya. These anaphors in Dholuo are categorized into reflexives and reciprocals marked by the same morpheme-r 'self' 'each other' followed by a personal pronoun (Omondi,1982; Okoth, 1997, p.41; Onyango, 2013). The morpheme marking anaphor (non-lexical) in Dholuo is not independent as it is attached to a verb. Since it is used to mark both the reflexive and the reciprocal, it poses some ambiguity in its interpretation which require context to disambiguate. This implies that Dholuo anaphor must be interpretable within the three linguistic fields to distinguish reflexives from reciprocals. Moreover, there are other lexical elements that function as anaphors in Dholuo such as pronouns, demonstratives and nouns which are body parts that indicate the body or soul affected by the action of self or each other. These elements also appear ambiguous such that context must be included to distinguish their usage. In this paper, emphasis is on reflexives and reciprocals. In the same vein, the meaning of a sentence (semantics) is determined by the rules of the language (syntax). Chomsky (2001) argues that rules of language are inborn, and that every speaker or listener interacts with them when
Journal of Literature, Languages and Linguistics, 2021
In a number of languages, vowel harmony is generally initiated in certain positions that are psyc... more In a number of languages, vowel harmony is generally initiated in certain positions that are psycholinguistically privileged such as root-initial syllables. Such positions not only trigger vowel harmony but may also block or fail to undergo vowel harmony process initiated elsewhere even when such a process is regular or expected in the phonology of the language. In the rule-based derivational analysis, such phenomenon was explained in serial rules that were often blind to outputs and could produce non-recurrent harmony types. Similarly, the derivational approach often failed to account for the privileged status of harmony triggering vowels. In a Positional Faithfulness (PF) account adopted in this study, it is argued that positional sensitive harmony is due to a highranked positional faithfulness constraint; IDENT-IO, (F) in an Optimality Theoretic Grammar. In this paper, based on Lubukusu (a Bantu language of Kenya), it is shown that vowel height harmony that is initiated in the root initial syllable can best be accounted for by recourse to constraint interaction in which positional specific faithfulness constraints dominates general faithfulness and markedness constraints. Vowels in root initial syllables may initiate or block vowel height harmony based on a universal constraint ranking for root-initial faithfulness. The analysis confirms that faithfulness constraints that are positional sensitive may be responsible for root induced vowel height harmony because such positions are psycholinguistically privileged in general language processing.
Anaphors which include the reflexive and reciprocal manifest differently in languages all over th... more Anaphors which include the reflexive and reciprocal manifest differently in languages all over the world. As referent items, they occur as morphological, syntactic or lexical. In this paper, a different focus is taken by assignment of case to determine grammaticality of sentences that contain anaphors. Data was drawn from native speaker intuition and secondary data from scholars. The data was subjected to validation by being verified by six adult native speakers. Different types of anaphors collected were analyzed using descriptive and qualitative research designs. Case Theory, a module of Government and Binding Theory was used as the tool for analysis. The analyses report that Dholuo language exhibit both lexical and non-lexical words as anaphors which occupy object position. The non-lexical anaphor –r ‘self’ or ‘each other’, does not occur in isolation; it is attached to the verb and followed by a personal pronoun. It is also established that Dholuo anaphor is assigned morphologic...
International Journal of Humanities and Social Science Research, 2016
International journal of research and innovation in social science, Dec 31, 2022
Journal of Linguistics, Literary and Communication Studies
Previous phonological studies have indicated that a sequence of dissimilar hetero-syllabic/morphe... more Previous phonological studies have indicated that a sequence of dissimilar hetero-syllabic/morphemic vowels are dispreferred across languages because it creates vowel hiatus. As a result, it may engender multiple repair mechanisms. However, the repair mechanisms do not apply liberally; they may be resisted in certain positions when segmental deletion or featural change fail to take place. Segments in phonetically and psycholinguistically privileged positions invariably resist such repair strategies that may be quite regular in the grammar of the language. In this study, a reanalysis of data from Lubukusu language (Bantu, Kenya) shows that a Positional Faithfulness (PF) account within an Optimality Theory (OT) framework may be felicitous in explaining both the initiation and resistance to the said repair processes. The findings indicate that the positional faithfulness of the vowel in question may determine whether it is deleted or which features may be changed based on a single cons...
International Journal of Multidisciplinary Research and Development, Nov 1, 2019
World journal of innovative research, Jan 26, 2022
Songs perform key roles in the society such as entertainment and education but can project certai... more Songs perform key roles in the society such as entertainment and education but can project certain ideologies and stereotypes. This study examined the objectification of women in selected Kipsigis popular songs. The researcher purposively picked 15 songs from speakers of Kipsigis popular artists, 30 respondents and five composers. An interview schedule was used to obtain the relevant information from the respondents and composers of the songs. The study was guided by Politeness Theory by Brown and Levinson (1978). The results of the study indicated that artists objectify women as instruments, female sex organ as food and a place while sexual intercourse is portrayed as a journey, war and work to mitigate their offensiveness. It is believed that the findings of this study would be of great significance in information dissemination to the media, schools and churches in censuring and sensitization of songs that objectify women. Also, the results of this study is expected to be instrumental in mitigating offensive expressions that cause harm and shame to the listeners of Kipsigis popular songs through proper interpretation of words and phrases that objectify women.
International Journal of Multidisciplinary Research and Development, 2020
Journal of Linguistics and Foreign Languages, Jul 1, 2021
Journal of Law, Policy and Globalization, 2022
The inalienable right to one's mother tongue has long been acknowledged universally. This was fir... more The inalienable right to one's mother tongue has long been acknowledged universally. This was first captured by the UN's 'Universal Declaration of Human Rights' as early as 1948 and recently reinforced through the 'Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous People' in 2006. The constitution of Kenya 2010, in The Bill of Rights (BR), reiterates this position by stating that the rights and fundamental freedoms belong to each individual and are not granted by the state. Mother tongue is one of the Human Rights. In essence, the constitution is expected to provide a basis upon which mother tongue can play a central role in the legal and judicial system of the country. However, mother tongue language remains on the periphery as the language of the law not to mention its subordinate role both as a legal language and the language of the administration of justice. This paper examines the current low status assumed by mother tongue in the Kenyan context within the Forensic Linguistics perspective. It is argued that there is an attempt at forced assimilation of mother tongue language to the dominant English language in our justice system. This process is at the heart of human rights violations as envisaged in the constitutional provisions on equality and freedom against discrimination as per article 27(4) of the Bill of Rights. The right to use of one's mother tongue in the legal process is a fundamental pillar of equality and freedom against discrimination. It ensures that every person is equal before the law and has the right to equal protection and benefit of the law. The state players, therefore, have an obligation to protect the mother language through enforceable legislation as contemplated by the constitution of Kenya Article 7(3). The same constitution must be reexamined and amended to put mother tongue at the core of judicial administration and legal practice in the country.
Journal of Literature, Languages and Linguistics, 2022
The International Journal of Humanities & Social Studies
IOSR Journal of Humanities and Social Science, 2014
Journal of Literature, Languages and Linguistics, 2021
In a number of languages, vowel harmony is generally initiated in certain positions that are psyc... more In a number of languages, vowel harmony is generally initiated in certain positions that are psycholinguistically privileged such as root-initial syllables. Such positions not only trigger vowel harmony but may also block or fail to undergo vowel harmony process initiated elsewhere even when such a process is regular or expected in the phonology of the language. In the rule-based derivational analysis, such phenomenon was explained in serial rules that were often blind to outputs and could produce non-recurrent harmony types. Similarly, the derivational approach often failed to account for the privileged status of harmony triggering vowels. In a Positional Faithfulness (PF) account adopted in this study, it is argued that positional sensitive harmony is due to a highranked positional faithfulness constraint; IDENT-IO, (F) in an Optimality Theoretic Grammar. In this paper, based on Lubukusu (a Bantu language of Kenya), it is shown that vowel height harmony that is initiated in the root initial syllable can best be accounted for by recourse to constraint interaction in which positional specific faithfulness constraints dominates general faithfulness and markedness constraints. Vowels in root initial syllables may initiate or block vowel height harmony based on a universal constraint ranking for root-initial faithfulness. The analysis confirms that faithfulness constraints that are positional sensitive may be responsible for root induced vowel height harmony because such positions are psycholinguistically privileged in general language processing.
Asian Journal of Social Science and Management Technology, 2022
Phonological studies have previously shown that a sequence of a nasal plus certain consonants (es... more Phonological studies have previously shown that a sequence of a nasal plus certain consonants (especially voiceless obstruent) in a syllable onset position is considered marked cross-linguistically. As a result, it may trigger a number of repair mechanisms which have been dubbed *NC effects/resolution. However, what is of interest in this study is that the repair mechanisms are not unconstrained; they seem to target some sound segments for deletion or feature change in certain positions and not others. Segments in psycholinguistically privileged positions invariably resist these repair strategies that are, in fact, expected and regular in the phonology of the language. In this study, data from Lubukusu language (Bantu, Kenya) is used to argue that a Positional Faithfulness (PF) account within an Optimality Theory (OT) framework is required in explaining both the blocking and triggering of such repair processes. The findings indicate that the positional faithfulness of the segments in question determines which one is deleted, merged or which segmental features may be changed in the phonological repairs based on a single constraint hierarchy in an Optimal Grammar of the language.
Journal of Literature, Languages and Linguistics, 2021
In the acquisition of any language, the child is faced with multiple challenges. Among these is s... more In the acquisition of any language, the child is faced with multiple challenges. Among these is segmenting a continuous stream of speech into individual sound segments and articulating consonant clusters and polysyllabic words. Due to limitations of cognitive and physiological development, the child has to simplify the acquisition task via alternations and changes to the adult input. This may naturally lead to a number of phonological processes. However, the attested phonological processes differ from language to language and from one child to another. The objective of this study was to address these issues by examining phonological process that accompany the acquisition of Kiswahili phonemic inventory and the syllable structure. The paper is based on data from a longitudinal study of two siblings from one year up to five years of age. The two subjects were purposefully sampled and the data collected by using parental diary, an audio-recorder and a word list. Couched within the Optimality Theory (OT; Prince & Smolensky, 2004), the data was analyzed in conventional OT tableaux. The optimal output was assessed through comparative evaluation of harmony based on Kiswahili specific constraint hierarchy. The findings indicate that transitional grammars exhibit different phonological processes at different stages as the child re-ranks the constraints to approximate to the adult norm. Children initially rank markedness constraints above the faithfulness constraints which results in alternations and therefore, phonological processes that ease the task of acquisition. In this process, the output is typically the unmarked forms that are simpler in structure, easier to produce and perceive and thus, easier to acquire. These processes reduce and ultimately disappear as the child demotes the markedness constraints below the faithfulness constraints attaining adult-like phonologies.
The inalienable right to one's mother tongue has long been acknowledged universally. This was fir... more The inalienable right to one's mother tongue has long been acknowledged universally. This was first captured by the UN's 'Universal Declaration of Human Rights' as early as 1948 and recently reinforced through the 'Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous People' in 2006. The constitution of Kenya 2010, in The Bill of Rights (BR), reiterates this position by stating that the rights and fundamental freedoms belong to each individual and are not granted by the state. Mother tongue is one of the Human Rights. In essence, the constitution is expected to provide a basis upon which mother tongue can play a central role in the legal and judicial system of the country. However, mother tongue language remains on the periphery as the language of the law not to mention its subordinate role both as a legal language and the language of the administration of justice. This paper examines the current low status assumed by mother tongue in the Kenyan context within the Forensic Linguistics perspective. It is argued that there is an attempt at forced assimilation of mother tongue language to the dominant English language in our justice system. This process is at the heart of human rights violations as envisaged in the constitutional provisions on equality and freedom against discrimination as per article 27(4) of the Bill of Rights. The right to use of one's mother tongue in the legal process is a fundamental pillar of equality and freedom against discrimination. It ensures that every person is equal before the law and has the right to equal protection and benefit of the law. The state players, therefore, have an obligation to protect the mother language through enforceable legislation as contemplated by the constitution of Kenya Article 7(3). The same constitution must be reexamined and amended to put mother tongue at the core of judicial administration and legal practice in the country.
The International Journal of Humanities and Social Studies, 2021
Syntax-Semantic-Pragmatic Interface of Dholuo Anaphors 1. Introduction Anaphors comprise of refle... more Syntax-Semantic-Pragmatic Interface of Dholuo Anaphors 1. Introduction Anaphors comprise of reflexives and reciprocals which may be lexical or non-lexical. They cannot be interpreted alone, thus they attain meaning via reference to another syntactic unit within the same sentence. In other words, anaphors depend on another element that comes before them for interpretation (Haegemann 1994, p.192; Poole, 2002, p.108). This is because the defining feature of anaphors is its accessibility to the subject within a particular context. Hence, the interpretation of anaphors involves syntax which ensures that the anaphors and the elements they attain reference from are well arranged. Then semantically, the string of words containing the anaphors must be meaningful. Thereafter, different meanings interpreted depend on the contexts presented during the utterances, pragmatics. From this angle, anaphors interpretation is dependent on the interaction of syntax, semantics and pragmatics. Firstly, it is important to note that anaphors have been one of the areas of interest for linguistic research, and many questions have been raised on the relationship between Syntax, Semantics and Pragmatics (Huang, 2000). According to Huang (2006), in the interpretation of anaphors, factors such as syntactic, semantic and pragmatic are important since the structure of the sentence enables one to interprete it well. The interpretation may vary depending on the environment where the utterance was produced. Secondly, anaphors are found in African languages including Dholuo, a Nilotic language spoken in Kenya. These anaphors in Dholuo are categorized into reflexives and reciprocals marked by the same morpheme-r 'self' 'each other' followed by a personal pronoun (Omondi,1982; Okoth, 1997, p.41; Onyango, 2013). The morpheme marking anaphor (non-lexical) in Dholuo is not independent as it is attached to a verb. Since it is used to mark both the reflexive and the reciprocal, it poses some ambiguity in its interpretation which require context to disambiguate. This implies that Dholuo anaphor must be interpretable within the three linguistic fields to distinguish reflexives from reciprocals. Moreover, there are other lexical elements that function as anaphors in Dholuo such as pronouns, demonstratives and nouns which are body parts that indicate the body or soul affected by the action of self or each other. These elements also appear ambiguous such that context must be included to distinguish their usage. In this paper, emphasis is on reflexives and reciprocals. In the same vein, the meaning of a sentence (semantics) is determined by the rules of the language (syntax). Chomsky (2001) argues that rules of language are inborn, and that every speaker or listener interacts with them when
Journal of Literature, Languages and Linguistics, 2021
In a number of languages, vowel harmony is generally initiated in certain positions that are psyc... more In a number of languages, vowel harmony is generally initiated in certain positions that are psycholinguistically privileged such as root-initial syllables. Such positions not only trigger vowel harmony but may also block or fail to undergo vowel harmony process initiated elsewhere even when such a process is regular or expected in the phonology of the language. In the rule-based derivational analysis, such phenomenon was explained in serial rules that were often blind to outputs and could produce non-recurrent harmony types. Similarly, the derivational approach often failed to account for the privileged status of harmony triggering vowels. In a Positional Faithfulness (PF) account adopted in this study, it is argued that positional sensitive harmony is due to a highranked positional faithfulness constraint; IDENT-IO, (F) in an Optimality Theoretic Grammar. In this paper, based on Lubukusu (a Bantu language of Kenya), it is shown that vowel height harmony that is initiated in the root initial syllable can best be accounted for by recourse to constraint interaction in which positional specific faithfulness constraints dominates general faithfulness and markedness constraints. Vowels in root initial syllables may initiate or block vowel height harmony based on a universal constraint ranking for root-initial faithfulness. The analysis confirms that faithfulness constraints that are positional sensitive may be responsible for root induced vowel height harmony because such positions are psycholinguistically privileged in general language processing.
Anaphors which include the reflexive and reciprocal manifest differently in languages all over th... more Anaphors which include the reflexive and reciprocal manifest differently in languages all over the world. As referent items, they occur as morphological, syntactic or lexical. In this paper, a different focus is taken by assignment of case to determine grammaticality of sentences that contain anaphors. Data was drawn from native speaker intuition and secondary data from scholars. The data was subjected to validation by being verified by six adult native speakers. Different types of anaphors collected were analyzed using descriptive and qualitative research designs. Case Theory, a module of Government and Binding Theory was used as the tool for analysis. The analyses report that Dholuo language exhibit both lexical and non-lexical words as anaphors which occupy object position. The non-lexical anaphor –r ‘self’ or ‘each other’, does not occur in isolation; it is attached to the verb and followed by a personal pronoun. It is also established that Dholuo anaphor is assigned morphologic...
International Journal of Humanities and Social Science Research, 2016