At this week’s P group meeting, Dec 16 1pm, Avleen and Heather will give a presentation on “Obstruent-approximant-vowel strings in Hindi”.
Abstract: In this paper, we examine the syllabification of obstruent-approximant-vowel (CAV) strings in Hindi. We propose four alternative representations for CAV: CA may form a complex onset; AV may form a light diphthong; A may simultaneously be part of a complex onset and light diphthong; or C and A may be separated by an empty nucleus. Evidence for the various alternatives comes from: phonotactic constraints that hold on sonority and place dimensions; the presence or absence of devoicing of A; the presence or absence of a pause between C and A; and the location of stress. We conclude that data from Hindi motivate an approach to syllabification that is both hierarchical and abstract.