Consonant Insertions: A synchronic and diachronic account of Amfo'an

Abstract

This thesis is a study of synchronic consonant insertions in Amfo'an, a variety of Meto (Austronesian) spoken in Western Timor. Amfo'an attests synchronic consonant insertion in two environments: before vowel-initial enclitics and to mark the right edge of the noun phrase. This constitutes two synchronic processes; the first is a process of epenthesis, while the second is a phonologically conditioned affixation process. Which consonant is inserted is determined by the preceding vowel: /ʤ/ occurs after /i/, /l/ after /e/ and /ɡw/ after /o/ and /u/. However, there is no regular process of insertion after /a/ final words. This thesis provides a detailed analysis of the form, functions and distribution of consonant insertion in Amfo'an and accounts for the lack of synchronic consonant insertion after /a/-final words. Although these processes can be accounted for synchronically, a diachronic account is also necessary in order to fully account for why /ʤ/, /l/ and /ɡw/ are regularly inserted in Amfo'an. This account demonstrates that although consonant insertion in Amfo'an is an unusual synchronic process, it is a result of regular sound changes. This thesis also examines the theoretical and typological implications of the Amfo'an data, demonstrating that Amfo'an does not fit in to the categories previously used to classify consonant/zero alternations. I demonstrate that the form of consonant insertion in Amfo'an is inconsistent with the predictions of Optimality Theory, contending that there is a need for more cross-linguistic study of consonant/zero alternations, so that theoretical and typological models which can account for these processes may be developed.