<OT> New Posting: ROA-1022

[roa at ruccs.rutgers.edu]

ROA 1022-0309

English loanwords in Thai and OT

Apichai Rungruang <rapichai2002 at yahoo.com>

Direct link: http://roa.rutgers.edu/view.php3?roa=1022


Abstract:

ABSTRACT

This study focuses on English loanwords in Thai, particularly
the treatment of consonants in different environments, namely
onset/coda simplification, laryngeal features, medial consonants,
and liquid alternation, within the framework of Optimality
Theory (OT: Prince and Smolensky 1993/2004).  The major
objectives are: (1) to examine the way English loanwords
are adapted to a new environment, (2) to investigate how
conflict between faithfulness and markedness constraints
is resolved and in what ways through OT grammars, and (3)
finally to be a contribution to the literature of loan phonology
in OT since there has not been much literature on English
loanwords in Thai within the recent theoretical framework
of Optimality Theory.

The data are drawn from an English-Thai dictionary (Sethaputa
1995), an on-line English-Thai dictionary, an English loanword
dictionary (Komutthamwiboon  2003), and earlier studies
of English loans in Thai by Udomwong (1981), Nacaskul (1989),
Raksaphet (2000), and Kenstowicz and Atiwong (2004).
The study has found that Thais replace unlicensed consonants
with either auditory similar segments or shared natural
class segments, as in /v/ in the English and [w] in word
borrowing due to auditory similarity, /g/ in the English
source replaced by [k] because of shared place of articulation.
Vowel insertion is found if the English source begins with
/sC/ as in /sk&#61521;n/ scan &#61664; [sa&#61592;k&#61509;&#6150;
9;n].  Since Thai allows consonant clusters, a second segment
of the clusters is always retained if it fits the Thai phonotacti
cs, as in /gruup/ ‘group’ &#61664; [kru&#61659;p].  In coda,
consonant clusters must be simplified.  Consonant clusters
in the English source are divided into five main subgroups.
Sometimes Thais retain a segment adjacent to a vowel and
delete the edge, as in /l&#61509;nz/ lens &#61664; [len].
However, a postvocalic lateral [l] followed by a segment
are replaced by either a nasal [n] or a glide [w].
In terms of repair strategies, the lowest ranked faithfulness
constraints indicate what motivates Thais to have consonant
adaptation.  MAX-IO, DEP-IO, IDENT-IO (place) reveal that
segmental deletion, insertion, and replacement on the place
of articulation are employed to deal with marked structures,
respectively.  The two lines of approaches (Positional Faithfulne
ss, Positional Markedness) have been examined with respect
to segments bearing aspiration or voicing.  The findings
have shown that both approaches can be employed to achieve
the same result.  In medial consonants, ambisyllabic consonants
in the English source undergo syllable adaptation and behave
like geminates in word borrowings in Thai.  Most cases show
that ambisyllabic/geminate consonants in loanwords are unaspirate
d.  A few cases are aspirated.
The study has revealed that there is still more room for
improvement in OT.  The standard OT allowing only a single
output in the surface form is challenged.  Some English
loanwords have multiple outputs.  For instance, /æsf&#61581;
;&#61581;lt/ ‘asphalt’ can be pronounced either [&#61503;&#61509;
&#61659;tf&#61581;&#61504;n] or [&#61503;&#61509;&#61659;tf&#6158;
1;&#61504;w].  Another example is the word /k&#61512;riim
/ ‘cream’ can be pronounced as [k&#61512;riim], [k&#61512;liim],
and [k&#61512;iim]. To account for these phenomena requires
a sociolinguistic explanation.


Comments: 
Keywords: The Thai language, loanwords, English loanwords
Areas: Phonology
Type: PhD Dissertation

Direct link: http://roa.rutgers.edu/view.php3?roa=1022