Substitution Process of English Loan Words Consonants Non-existent in Persian

Sarrami, Valiyollah; Alinezhad, Batool; Jam, Badhir; Badiee, Marziyeh

doi:10.48311/LRR.16.6.4

Substitution Process of English Loan Words Consonants Non-existent in Persian

Document Type : مقالات علمی پژوهشی

Authors

Valiyollah Sarrami ¹

Batool Alinezhad ²

Badhir Jam ³

Marziyeh Badiee ⁴

¹ PhD student, Department of Linguistics, University of Isfahan, Isfahan, Iran

² Associate Professor of Linguistics, University of Isfahan, Isfahan, Iran

³ Associate Professor of Linguistics, University of Shahrekord, Shahrekord, Iran;

⁴ PhD in Linguistics, University of Isfahan, Isfahan, Iran

10.48311/LRR.16.6.4

Abstract

Sound substitution is a process whereby a phoneme in a loanword is replaced by its closest phone in the borrowing language. Many English loanwords with consonants /T/, /w/, /k/ and /g/ have been adapted by Persian. None of these consonants exist as a phoneme in Persian. The pronunciation or substitution of these consonants by their closest phone in Persian depends on the phonological environment; the dental /T/ is replaced by [t] and [s] respectively in the onset and coda. The bilabial /w/ is replaced by [v] in the onset. However, since [w] is only used as an intervocalic consonant in Persian, it acts like an intervocalic consonant upon the declusterization of word initial /sw/. Therefore, it is not usually replaced by any consonant in this environment. Finally, the velar consonants /k/ and /g/ either change to palatal [c] and [Š] respectively or do not change at all, due to the phonological environment. This research aimed to explain each of these sound substitution processes within the framework of optimality theory (Prince and Smolensky, 1993/2004). It presents arguments in favor of constraint rankings which cause the occurances of these processes.
1. Introduction
When languages borrow lexical items from one another, these loanwords typically undergo a process of adaptation to align with the phonological and morphological rules of the recipient language. This phenomenon, commonly referred to as nativization, involves systematic alterations in phonemic inventories, phonotactic structures, and prosodic patterns such that the borrowed forms are integrated into the native system, often to the extent that they become indistinguishable from native vocabulary (Hudson, 2000, p. 247).
The present study investigates the phonological adaptation of English loanwords in Persian, with particular attention to changes in segmental structure and stress placement. The analysis is framed within Optimality Theory (OT) (Prince & Smolensky, 1993/2004), a constraint-based model of grammar that evaluates competing candidate outputs against a ranked hierarchy of violable constraints.
Research Questions
1.         To what extent does OT provide both descriptive and explanatory adequacy in accounting for the phonological nativization of English loanwords in Persian?
2.         Are there additional constraints, not previously discussed in the literature, that need to be introduced or re-ranked to explain the adaptation processes observed in Persian?

2. Literature Review
A number of studies have addressed the adaptation of English loanwords into Persian using a range of theoretical frameworks. Rahimi (2010) explored vowel changes in loanwords through the lens of OT, while Esmaeeli and Kamouzia (2013) employed a generative approach to analyze segmental modifications. Saliminejad (2012) examined French loanwords in Persian using OT, producing several tableaux to illustrate constraint interaction in processes such as denasalization, vowel backing, and glottal insertion. His work emphasized the replacement of marked forms by unmarked structures in the course of nativization.
Khalifelou, Mozaffari, and Kushki (2016) adopted Silverman’s (1992) input-perceptual-operative model in their analysis of English loanwords, demonstrating its empirical adequacy for Persian phonology. In another relevant study, Zandisalimi and Razinejad (2021) investigated how speakers of the Sanandaj Kurdish dialect handle illegal consonant clusters in borrowed words. Their findings revealed that schwa epenthesis is the primary repair strategy, followed by metathesis and lenition, processes that may offer comparative insight into Persian data.

3. Methodology
The data set includes English loanwords that are either attested in Persian dictionaries (e.g., lift truck, chiller, halfback) or are commonly used in colloquial speech, especially in technological contexts (e.g., Bluetooth, floppy, Windows, update). Loanwords that verge on taboo or lack standardized pronunciation were excluded due to inconsistencies in their phonological treatment. The analytical procedure involves grouping loanwords by phonological pattern and selecting representative examples for formal analysis. These are then modeled using OT tableaux to determine how Persian resolves phonotactic violations through constraint interaction. Constraints such as MAX-IO and DEP-IO are considered alongside language-specific constraints like *NO STRONG ONSET and *NO INITIAL CONSONANT CLUSTER. Each tableau evaluates multiple possible outputs, selecting the optimal form based on constraint violations and rankings. Ten tableaux were developed to reflect the hierarchy of phonological constraints active in Persian, and to identify systematic patterns in how the language resolves structural mismatches.

4. Results
While traditional generative models, such as those within the Extended Standard Theory (Chomsky, 1968), primarily describe phonological processes, OT offers both descriptive and explanatory power by modeling why specific outputs are favored. The analysis of OT tableaux reveals consistent patterns of constraint interaction that guide the nativization of English loanwords into Persian. One of the novel contributions of this study is the incorporation of orthographic constraints, which consider the influence of the written form on phonological adaptation, an area seldom addressed in previous research. Additionally, the study introduces a four-way classification of English consonant clusters, offering a refined typology of adaptation strategies. From a typological perspective, the results confirm several characteristic features of Persian phonology:
·            Absence of word-initial consonant clusters
·            Tolerance of certain word-final CC clusters
·            Syllables must begin with a consonant
·            Lack of interdental fricatives
·            Fixed right-dominant word stress and syllable timing
·            Absence of diphthongs and triphthongs
These findings provide both empirical evidence and theoretical insights into the phonological assimilatison of loanwords, as mediated by constraint interaction in Persian.

Keywords

nativization

loan phonology

sound substitution

Persian phonology

Optimality theory

20.1001.1.23223081.1401.0.0.227.9

Subjects

Linguistics

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