ABSTRACT
This study is concerned with the allophonic variations across selected dialects of Yorùbá; an account of optimality theory.
This study reveals there are more to allophonic variations across Yorùbá dialects than what we know in Standard Yorùbá (SY); that vowel /ã/ as a phoneme has three allophones ([ã], [ͻ̃], and [ε̃]): vowel [â] occurs after a bilabial related consonant; vowel [ͻ̃] occurs after others: vowel [ε̃] only occurs in few words like yẹn’that’, wọ̀nyẹn ‘those’,wúnrẹ̀n etc: that consonant /l/ has two allophones ([l] and [n]); consonant /l/ occurs before an oral vowel: while consonant [n] occurs before a nasal vowel. This study brings about discovery that there are more phonemes with their allophones across Yorùbá dialects contrast to the aforementioned common and popular two that we know in SY; these phonemes include /h/, /s/, /l/, /ŭ/, /ĩ/, /ã/ & /ͻ̃/, and /i/; in fact, /â/ and /ͻ̃/ cannot be treated as allophones of the same phoneme, rather, separate phonemes across the selected dialects of Yorùbá: in order word, there is no â~ ͻ̃ alternation in these dialects. This study selected six dialects of Yorùbá namely: Ẹ̀gbá, Ìjẹ̀bú, Ìkálẹ̀, Àwórì, Yewa, and Èkìtì dialects in order to have a good work on allophonic variations across Yorùbá dialects.
This study accounts for the allophonic variations across Yoruba dialects using Optimality Theory (OT); it then provides constraints, ranks these constraints (dialect by dialect), generates the candidates, and evaluates these candidates in order to know what is and what is not permissive in one dialect and the other: in turn, the optimal candidate emerges as the winner.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Content Page
Title i
Certification ii
Dedication iii
Acknowledgment iv
Table of Contents v
Abstract vii
CHAPTER ONE: INTRODUCTION
1.0 Introduction 1
1.1 Background to the Study 2
1.2 Scope of the Study 2
1.3 Research Objectives 3
1.4 Research Question 3
1.5 Significance of the Study 3
1.6 Theoretical framework 4
1.7 Research Methodology 8
CHAPTER TWO: REVIEW OF RELEVANT LITERATURE
2.0 Introduction 9
2.1 Works on Yoruba Dialects and YORUBA Allophonic Variation 9
2.2.1 Awobuluyi (1992) 10
2.2.2 Olumuyiwa (1994) 14
2.2.3 Awobuluyi (1998) 16
2.2.4 Ajiboye & Pulleyblank (2014) 18
CHAPTER THREE: ALLOPHONIC VARIATION ACROSS YORUBA DIALECTS
3.0 Introduction 19
3.1 Phoneme /l/ and its allophones in Ẹ̀gbá, Ìjẹ̀bú, Ìkálẹ̀, Àwórì, Yewa, and Èkìtì Dialects 19
3.2 Phoneme /h/ and its allophones in Ẹ̀gbá, Ìjẹ̀bú, Ìkálẹ̀, Àwórì, Yewa, and Èkìtì Dialects 24
3.3 Phoneme /s/ and its allophones in Ẹ̀gbá, Ìjẹ̀bú, Ìkálẹ̀, Àwórì, Yewa, and Èkìtì Dialects 29
3.4 Phoneme /î/ and its allophones in Ẹ̀gbá, Ìjẹ̀bú, Ìkálẹ̀, Àwórì, Yewa, and Èkìtì Dialects 32
3.5 Phonemes /â/ and /ͻˆ/ and their allophones in Ẹ̀gbá, Ìjẹ̀bú, Ìkálẹ̀, Àwórì, Yewa, and Èkìtì Dialects 36
3.6 Phoneme /û/ and its allophones in Ẹ̀gbá, Ìjẹ̀bú, Ìkálẹ̀, Àwórì, Yewa, and Èkìtì Dialects 38
3.7 Phoneme /i/ and its allophones in Ẹ̀gbá, Ìjẹ̀bú, Ìkálẹ̀, Àwórì, Yewa, and Èkìtì Dialects 41
CHAPTER FOUR: AN OPTIMALITY ACCOUNT ON ALLOPHIC VARIATION ACROSS `YORUBA DIALECTS
4.0 Introduction 44
4.1 An Optimality Account of /l/ in Ẹ̀gbá, Ìjẹ̀bú, Ìkálẹ̀, Àwórì, Yewa, and Èkìtì Dialects 45
4.2 An Optimality Account of /h/ in Ẹ̀gbá, Ìjẹ̀bú, Ìkálẹ̀, Àwórì, Yewa, and Èkìtì Dialects 49
4.3 An Optimality Account of /s/ in Ẹ̀gbá, Ìjẹ̀bú, Ìkálẹ̀, Àwórì, Yewa, and Èkìtì Dialects 54
4.4 An Optimality Account of /î/ in Ẹ̀gbá, Ìjẹ̀bú, Ìkálẹ̀, Àwórì, Yewa, and Èkìtì Dialects 57
4.5 An Optimality Account of /â/ in Ẹ̀gbá, Ìjẹ̀bú, Ìkálẹ̀, Àwórì, Yewa, and Èkìtì Dialects 60
4.6 An Optimality Account of /û/ in Ẹ̀gbá, Ìjẹ̀bú, Ìkálẹ̀, Àwórì, Yewa, and Èkìtì Dialects 63
4.7 An Optimality Account of /i/ in Ẹ̀gbá, Ìjẹ̀bú, Ìkálẹ̀, Àwórì, Yewa, and Èkìtì Dialects 66
CHAPTER FIVE: SUMMARY AND CONCLUSION
5.0 Introduction 69
5.1 Summary 69
5.2 Findings 70
5.2 Contributions to Knowledge 70
Bibliography 71
Adeniyi, S. (2018). ALLOPHONIC VARIATION IN SELECTED YORÙBÁ DIALECTS AN OPTIMALITY THEORY ACCOUNT. Afribary. Retrieved from https://track.afribary.com/works/allophonic-variation-in-seected-yoruba-dialects-an-optimality-theory-account
Adeniyi, Sakiru "ALLOPHONIC VARIATION IN SELECTED YORÙBÁ DIALECTS AN OPTIMALITY THEORY ACCOUNT" Afribary. Afribary, 03 Jun. 2018, https://track.afribary.com/works/allophonic-variation-in-seected-yoruba-dialects-an-optimality-theory-account. Accessed 24 Dec. 2024.
Adeniyi, Sakiru . "ALLOPHONIC VARIATION IN SELECTED YORÙBÁ DIALECTS AN OPTIMALITY THEORY ACCOUNT". Afribary, Afribary, 03 Jun. 2018. Web. 24 Dec. 2024. < https://track.afribary.com/works/allophonic-variation-in-seected-yoruba-dialects-an-optimality-theory-account >.
Adeniyi, Sakiru . "ALLOPHONIC VARIATION IN SELECTED YORÙBÁ DIALECTS AN OPTIMALITY THEORY ACCOUNT" Afribary (2018). Accessed December 24, 2024. https://track.afribary.com/works/allophonic-variation-in-seected-yoruba-dialects-an-optimality-theory-account