Phonological Processes in the Baghdadi Gilit Dialect: An Analysis Using Optimality Theory

Subject Areas :

Abbas Azeez Mohammed Alabid ¹ , Bahram Hadian ^{2 *} , Oudah Kadhim Abed ³ , Fatemeh Karimi ⁴

1 - Department of English, Faculty of Foreign Languages, Isfahan (Khorasgan) Branch, Islamic Azad University, Isfahan, Iran
2 - Department of English, Isfahan (Khorasgan) Branch, Islamic AzadUniversity, Isfahan, Iran
3 - Department of English, College of Education for Human Sciences, Al Muthanna University, Samawah, Iraq
4 - Department of English, Isf. C., Islamic Azad University, Isfahan, Iran

Received: 2024-07-02 Accepted : 2024-09-11 Published : 2025-06-11

Keywords: Phonology, Baghdadi Gilit Dialect, Optimality Theory, Assimilation, Epenthesis, Deletion,

Abstract :

This study presents an analysis of the major phonological processes in the Baghdadi Gilit Dialect (BGD) of Iraqi Arabic, using Optimality Theory as the analytical framework. Assimilation, deletion, and epenthesis phenomena are investigated in this study to uncover the underlying constraints governing the phonological system of the dialect. Unique constraint hierarchies shaping BGD's phonology are determined using a corpus of speech data from native speakers. The results show that markedness constraints, especially HARMONY and PARSIMONY, are very strong in determining the surface representations, promoting vowel-consonant harmony and simplification processes in casual speech. Such processes are guided by the interactions of faithfulness and markedness constraints, with BGD prioritizing phonotactic ease and articulatory efficiency. The results also bring into focus important sociolinguistic factors, such as speech register and demographic variation, which influence constraint rankings and phonological variation. This study not only contributes to a deeper understanding of the phonological intricacies of BGD but also offers important insights into the greater field of Arabic linguistics, especially into the study of Bedouin-influenced dialects. The implications for this research go into theoretical phonology and add new evidence for the operation of constraint hierarchies in less well-documented dialects. In addition, the findings of this study have pedagogical implications for teaching Iraqi Arabic, especially BGD, by providing a systematic framework through which to understand its phonological patterns. Computationally, this work provides valuable insights into how to improve natural language processing models for Arabic, allowing them to better handle dialectal variation in speech recognition and synthesis. Thus, this study fills prevailing gaps in the research on Iraqi Arabic and will help set a platform for further research into other dialects of the region, further enhancing Arabic phonology and sociophonetic variation.

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