Phonological Adaptation of Loanwords into Ma da : An Optimality Theory Account

Abstract

This paper, using Optimality Theory (OT) as a framework, investigates the phonology of loanwords in Ma da , a Benue-Congo language spoken in Nasarawa state, North Central Nigeria (Williamson & Blench, 2000). Data for the study were obtained from two sources: Ma da -English dictionary and audio recordings of relevant corpus from three native speakers of Ma da . The standard OT view of loanword phonology assumes that it is the host language grammar that acts on the foreign words by selecting the right output form from a vast majority of candidates. The paper examines the strategies that Ma da adopts in the process of adapting words borrowed from other languages into it as well as the constraints hierarchy preferences. The results show that the phonological changes which foreign words undergo when borrowed into Ma da are evident in a range of phonological processes such as vowel deletion, coda simplification, cluster simplification, structure preservation, and syllable deletion. In all, it is observed that, to a large extent, the loanwords violate the syllable structure and Ma da phonotactics; but in order to preserve its structure, Ma da uses constraints that require the output material to be independent of input.