BIMORAIC SYLLABLES IN A LANGUAGE WITHOUT LENGTH CONTRAST AND WITHOUT CONSONANTS IN CODA POSITION: THE CASE OF SISWATI (S43) (original) (raw)

This paper investigates the structural characteristics of syllables in Siswati, focusing on the unique tonal modulations that arise under conditions of no coda consonants and an absence of length contrast. It argues that bimoraic syllables in Siswati can contain two tonal units despite the language's conventional syllable structure, providing insights into the tonal dynamics not easily explained by existing theories in Nguni languages. A critical aspect discussed is the absence of a non-adjacency condition for High (H) tones in Siswati, leading to significant differences in tonal patterns compared to other Nguni languages.