A prosodic study of Dholuo

Abstract

This study entitled 'A Prosodic Study of Dholuo' attempts at a comprehensive grasp of the prosody of Dholuo. We focus on one of the dialects of Dholuo, which we call the BU dialect. We adopt Autosegmental Phonology as a general theoretical model to describe and analyze prosodic feature sand units. The theory posts a number of parallel tiers of independent elements of various kinds (tones, syllables, segmental features etc.), which are linked with one another by the formal entities known as association lines. We are interested in how prosodic features are predicted or realized and what unit(s) is/are necessary as prosodic element(s). We start with segmental analyses of syllables as the basis for the auto segmental analyses. Basic syllable structure as well as exceptional structures are clarified (Chapter 2) .. In the process of exploring internal structures of syllables, we introduce the concept of 'mora'. We find that mora is relevant to the prediction of stress, which is one of the prosodic features. We also attempt to account for certain phonological processes with it (Chapter 3). Tone is the main prosodic feature of Dholuo. After determining what bears a tone and what are underlying tones, we propose some allotonic rules. We also identify features which characterize Dholuo as a tone language.