A Moraically-Based Model of the Syllable in Bechar Arabic

Abstract

Unlike the phonological analyses that characterize syllables in terms of onsets and rhymes, a moraically-oriented approach counts the number of beats or timing units (moras) present within the syllable. This counting ability makes this model superior to previous ones as it has the power to scan and relate the elements immediately dominated by the moras [1], [2], [3]. Taking into account extra prosodic syllables, a monomoraic syllable is light whereas a bimoraic syllable is heavy. In other words, open, short-vowelled syllables are monomoraic (σμ) or light, whereas closed and long-vowelled syllables are bimoraic (σμμ) or heavy. The current study shows the importance of adopting a moraic model of the syllable to describe and explain morpho-phonological processes. More specifically, it demonstrates that the incorporation of the mora as an essential constituent of the syllable can account for phonological phenomena in Bechar Arabic (BA), namely 'the Lengthening and Shortening of vowels in a specific morphological context.' We argue that the inclusion of the mora as a syllabic component simplifies the description and the explanation of prosodic phenomena of Bechar Arabic.