A Phonological Investigation of Irregularity and Variation in the Kimeru Nominal Concordial System
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A PHONOLOGICAL INVESTIGATION OF IRREGULARITY AND VARIATION IN THE KIMERU NOMINAL CONCORDIAL SYSTEM LUCYLINE GACUNKU UNIVERSITY OF NAIROBI £A*T AFRICAN A COLLECTION A DISSERTATION SUBMITTED IN PART FULFILLMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS OF THE DEGREE OF MASTERS OF ARTS IN THE UNIVERSITY OF NAIROBI of NAIROBI Library NOVEMBER 2005 ^O m o KEf*VA r ta mC m o r ia , DECLARATION This dissertation is my original work and it has not been presented for a degree in any other university. This dissertation has been written under my supervision and submitted for examination with our approval as supervisors. V PROF. K1THAKA WA MBER1A u ACKNOWLEDGEMENT The writing of this dissertation would have been an impossible task without devine strength and immense support of a number of very special people. In this regard. 1 firstly thank my Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, lor granting me not onlv the much needed strength but also the inspiration in the production of this dissertation. To God. I give all the GLORY. For such a task as this, he prepared and ordained men and women who have in one way or the other influenced the writing of this dissertation. I would like to express my very sincere gratitude and appreciation to each of these blessed people: all to the glory of God. % To start with, 1 am greatly indebted to my dissertation supervisors Professor Okoth Okombo and Professor kithaka wa Mberia. They have selflessly devoted their time to the thorough supervision of this work. Their scholarly, professional guidance and insight coupled with positive criticism have helped mould this work into what it is. Mv very profound gratitude also go to my informants. Anton\ Tigania. Harrison Ngeera. Esther lthiru. Mutwiri and Caroline kangai. who willingly generated the raw data for this research. Their good will is highly appreciated. I thank all my colleagues whose words of encouragement cheered me on. Their being there provided some form of moral support. in I also do appreciate the overwhelming support - moral, material and spiritual that 1 received from my loving, devoted husband Gerald Nyaga. He is always there for me. 1 deeply appreciate the understanding and tolerance of my two little children Brian and Grace who bore the brunt of an ever busy mother. It is to my sister Mary that 1 owe much gratitude for taking care of these little ones during this tasking time. Lastly, 1 do appreciate the impeccable typing b> my typists Rachael and ken. Their commitment and devotion in typing this work was far beyond the call of duty. 1 am sincerely grateful. I cannot possibly mention all who in one way or another were of help to me. I am however indebted to them all. May the Lord God. who sees in secret, be a blessing to all who have been a blessing to me. IV DEDICATION To my beloved parents: Sebastian Marangu (late) Silveria Gaaji Marangu And My late daughter Glory Muthoni (Kanyanva) v TABLE OF CONTENTS DECLARATION......................................................................................................... ii ACKNOWLEDGEMENT........................................................................................ iii DEDICATION..................... .......................................................................................v TABLE OF CONTENTS..........................................................................................vi LIST OF SYMBOLS AND ABBREVIATIONS....................................................x ABSTRACT............................................................................................................. xiii CHAPTER ONE........................................................................................................ 1 BACKGROUND TO THE STUDY......................................................................... 1 1.0 INTRODUCTION................................................................................................ I 1.1 LANGUAGE BACKGROUND......................................................................... 1 % 1.2 STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM.................................................................6 1.3 OBJECTIVES....................................... 10 1.4 HYPOTHESES.................................................................................................. 10 1.5 LITERATURE REVIEW..................................................................................11 1.6 THEORETICAL FRAMEWORK................................................................. 14 1.7 METHODOLOGY.............................................................................................20 1.8 SCOPE AND LIMITATIONS..........................................................................21 1.9 RATIONALE...................................................................................................... 22 CHAPTER TW O...................................................................................................... 24 CLASS PREFIXES AND NOUN CLASSIFICATION IN KIMERU.............. 24 2.0 INTRODUCTION...............................................................................................24 2.1 KIMERU NOMINAL PREFIXES...................................................................25 2.2. CORRELATION BETWEEN THE PRIMARY PREFIX AND THE CORRESPONDING CONCORD1AL MORPHEMES IN KIMERU..... 27 VI 2.2.1 Primary prefixes............................................................................................27 2.2.2 Secondary' prefixes...........................................................................................28 2.2.2.1 Adjectives....................................................................................................... 29 2.2.12. Demonstratives.............................................................................................33 Class Demonstrative...........................................................................................34 2.2.2.3 Possessives...................................................................................................... 38 2.3 ...........KIMERU PREFIX SYSTEM IN RELATION TO COMMON-BANTU PREFIX FORMS.................................................................................................42 2.3.1NOUN CLASSSIFICATION IN KIMERU..................................................48 2.3.1.lAllomorphic Class Prefixes..........................................................................49 2.3.1.2 Occurrence of a Zero Prefix both at the Underlying and the % Phonetic Level...................................................................................................... 52 2.3.20CCURRENCE OF HOMOPHONOUS PREFIX..................................... 55 2.3.3 THE SEMANTIC BASICS OF KIMERU NOUN CLASS SYSTEM.... 60 2.4 CONCLUSION.......................................................................................... 86 CHAPTER THREE.................................................................................................. 89 SYNCHRONIC MORPHOPHONEMIC PROCESSES AND CLASS PREFIX ALTERNATIONS...............................................................................................89 3.0 INTRODUCTION........................................................................................89 3.1 PHONOLOGICAL SEGMENTS IN KIMERU........................................... 90 3.1.1Consonantal Phonemes in Kimeru................................................................ 90 3.1.2 Kimeru Vowel System...................................................................................94 3.2 SYNCHRONIC PHONOLOGICAL PROCESSES.................................... 95 3.2.1Homorganic nasal assimilation.......................................................................96 3.2.2 Continuant Hardening................................................................................. 100 vii 3.2.3Consonant Dissimilation (Dahl’s Law).................................................. 106 3.2.4 Nasal Devoicing......................................................................................... 1 10 3.2.5 Identical Consonant Deletion.................................................................. 1 12 3.2.6Devocalization............................................................................................ 1 17 3.2.7 Height assimilation................................................................................. 129 3.2.8 Identical Vowel Deletion......................................................................... 131 3.2.9Compensatory Vowel Lengthening........................................................ 133 3.3 CONCLUSION............................................................................................ 138 CHAPTER FOUR.............................................................................................. 140 THE DIACHRONIC IMPLICATIONS OF THE KIMERU NOMINAL PHONOLOGY............................................................................................ 140 4.0 INTRODUCTION.......................!............................................................... 140 4.1 NASAL DELETION............................ ...................................................... 141 4.2 p - LOSS....................................................................................................... 147 4.3 p-LENITlON................................................................................................ 157 4.4DIACHRONIC LOSS OF /j/ AND /y/ STEM-INITIALLY................. 161 4.5 d- SONORIZATION AND CLASS 5 PREFIX REDUCTION.......... 164 4.5.1Class 5 Prefix Reduction........................................................................