Optimality Theory in Egyptian Arabic Phonological Acquisition | ||||
| مجلة کلية الآداب .جامعة بورسعيد | ||||
| Article 3, Volume 32, Issue 32, April 2025, Page 55-90 PDF (660.69 K) | ||||
| Document Type: المقالة الأصلية | ||||
| DOI: 10.21608/jfpsu.2025.370281.1425 | ||||
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| Author | ||||
Mona Maamoun 
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| Phonetics and Linguistics Department, Faculty of Arts, Alexandria University, Egypt | ||||
| Abstract | ||||
| This study investigates phonological acquisition in Egyptian Arabic (EA) within the framework of Optimality Theory (OT). Previous research on EA phonological development has primarily focused on the acquisition of phonemes, syllable structures, phonological processes, and suprasegmental features. However, no study has systematically analyzed these aspects using OT. This paper addresses this gap by examining phonological processes in EA-speaking children aged 2 to 3 years, as documented in previous literature (Omar, 1973; Ammar, 1992, 1999, 2002; Morsi, 2001; Abedelfattah, 2002; Ammar & Rifaat, 2004; Ammar & Morsi, 2006; Maamoun, 2008, 2016) from an OT perspective. The study focuses on three major phonological processes: syllable structure processes, substitution processes, and assimilation. The findings indicate that early phonological development is characterized by the dominance of markedness constraints, which are gradually demoted in favor of faithfulness constraints over time. For instance, in cluster simplification, the markedness constraint *COMPLEX outranks faithfulness constraints such as MAX and IDENT. Similarly, in final consonant deletion, the markedness constraint *C# (which favors open syllables) takes precedence over MAX. The weak syllable deletion process is driven by the ranking of *WEAKSYL above MAX. In substitution processes, such as /r/ deviation, the markedness constraint *TRILL dominates IDENT, leading to the avoidance of the trill sound. Finally, in assimilation, the markedness constraint *SAME MANNER prohibits adjacent phonemes with differing manners of articulation, resulting in assimilation patterns. Furthermore, this paper discusses the clinical implications of OT in diagnosing and treating phonological disorders, emphasizing its potential to inform speech therapy interventions. The study underscores the dynamic nature of phonological acquisition and highlights the relevance of OT in modeling constraint re-ranking during linguistic development. تستكشف هذه الدراسة اكتساب الأطفال المصريين النظام الفونولوجي للعامية المصرية (EA) من خلال إطار نظرية الأفضلية اللغوية (OT). ركزت الأبحاث السابقة حول تطور النظام الفونولوجى نفي العامية المصرية بشكل أساسي على اكتساب الفونيمات، وبنية المقطع، والعمليات الفونولوجية، والسمات فوق القطعية، إلا أنه لم يتم تحليل هذه الجوانب بشكل منهجي ضمن إطار نظرية الأفضلية اللغوية. يسد هذا البحث الفجوة البحثية من خلال تحليل العمليات الفونولوجية لدى الأطفال الناطقين بالعامية المصرية في الفئة العمرية من 2 إلى 3 سنوات، كما هو موثق في الدراسات السابقة (عمر، 1973؛ عمار، 1992، 1999، 2002؛ مرسي، 2001؛ عبد الفتاح، 2002؛ عمار ورفعت، 2004؛ عمار ومرسي، 2006؛ مأمون، 2008، 2016) وذلك من منظور نظرية الأفضلية اللغوية. تركز الدراسة على ثلاثة أنماط رئيسية من العمليات الفونولوجية، وهي: عمليات بنية المقطع، وعمليات الإبدال، وعمليات المماثلة الصوتية. تشير النتائج إلى أن المراحل المبكرة من التطور الفونولوجى تتميز بسيادة القيود الوسمية والتي تخضع تدريجياً لإعادة الترتيب لصالح قيود المحافظة مع تقدم التطور اللغوي. فعلى سبيل المثال، في تبسيط العنقود الصامت ، يحتل القيد الموسوم *COMPLEX مرتبة أعلى من قيود الوفاء مثل MAX IDENT. وبالمثل، في عملية حذف الصوامت النهائية، يتفوق القيد الموسوم *C# (الذي يفضل المقاطع المفتوحة) على القيد MAX. أما عملية حذف المقطع الضعيف، فتحدث نتيجة لهيمنة القيد *WEAKSYL على القيد MAX. في عمليات الإبدال، مثل انحراف النطق عن /r/، يهيمن القيد الموسوم *TRILL على القيد IDENT، مما يؤدي إلى تجنب صوت الراء (التكرار اللساني). وأخيرًا، في عمليات المماثلة الصوتية، يمنع القيد الموسوم *SAME MANNER وجود فونيمات متجاورة ذات مخارج نطقية مختلفة، مما يؤدي إلى أنماط مماثلة للمخرج. بالإضافة إلى ذلك، يناقش البحث الآثار الاكلينيكية لنظرية الأفضلية اللغوية في تشخيص وعلاج اضطرابات اللغة والكلام، مع التأكيد على إمكاناتها في توجيه التدخلات العلاجية للنطق. وتؤكد الدراسة على الطبيعة الديناميكية لاكتساب النظم الفونولوجية وتبرز أهمية نظرية الأفضلية اللغوية في تفسير عمليات إعادة ترتيب القيود أثناء الاكتساب اللغوي. | ||||
| Keywords | ||||
| فونولوجيا العامية المصرية; نظرية الأفضلية اللغوية; القيود الوسمية; القيود المحافظة; التطبيقات الاكلينيكية; EA Phonological Acquisition; OT; Markedness Constraints; Faithfulness Constraints; Clinical Implications | ||||
| References | ||||
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