Synchronic variation in Igede syllable structure

Abstract

This study examines synchronic variation in the syllable structure of Igede, an Idomoid language spoken in Nigeria and concludes that the syllable structure of the language is currently undergoing change. Existing body of work on the language as far back as Bergman (1971) show that Igede has the V, CV, and N syllable types. Without necessarily focusing on the syllable, patterns in the Igede data in other works conform to these syllable structures (Abiodun 1989, 1991, 2005; Anyogo 2012). However, data from twelve competent speakers recorded between 2021 and 2023 show that the language is currently developing a CrV (CCV) structure. The CrV structure is evolving where V1 gets elided in a C1V1C2V2 sequence. There are two main characteristics to this variation, namely (i) V1 is one of the high vowels /i/, /ɪ/, /u/ and /ʊ/, and (ii) C2 is strictly a /r/. The summary of this is that in a disyllabic word where a high vowel as the nucleus of a CV syllable is immediately followed by /r/ in the onset of a following CV syllable, the high vowel is elided. The result of this elision is the reduction of two contiguous CVCV syllables to only one having the CrV structure. The description of the CrV structure is complemented with acoustic analysis with the use of PRAAT. This CrV structure is systematic and consistent in the speech of all the twelve speakers that participated in this study. It is therefore concluded that this is a case of change in progress. The current stage of the change is modelled using Optimality Theory.