Phonological Analysis of Sound Differences in Abdolmaleki and Hawrami Dialects Based on Optimality Theory

Articles in Press

Document Type : مقالات علمی پژوهشی

Author
R. Ghanbari Abdolmaleki
Assistant Professor of Persian Language and Literature, Damghan University
Abstract
This paper presents a detailed phonological analysis of the sound differences between the Abdolmaleki and Hawrami dialects through the lens of Optimality Theory. The research primarily focuses on exploring the variations in vowel length, vowel quality, and consonant structure across these two dialects. The goal is to investigate how these differences manifest in the phonological systems of the dialects and to analyze them within the constraints of Optimality Theory. Several key constraints, including MAX-C, DEP-C, IDENT-[vowel height], IDENT-[vowel backness], ONSET, ALIGN-Morpheme, and CODA-COND, are applied to a comprehensive set of linguistic data collected from both dialects. The findings demonstrate that the Abdolmaleki and Hawrami dialects follow distinct patterns of phonological optimization, which lead to notable differences in their overall phonological structure. The analysis highlights how variations in vowel length, the quality of vowels, and the structure of consonants contribute to these dialectal distinctions. Moreover, the study provides a theoretical framework that not only deepens our understanding of the phonological processes at work in these dialects but also offers a new perspective for analyzing other Iranian dialects. In addition to shedding light on these phonetic differences, this article suggests avenues for further research on phonological variations and underscores the broader applicability of Optimality Theory in linguistic studies.

Keywords

Subjects

reference
• Anttila, A. (1997). Deriving Variation from Grammar. Variation, Change and Phonological Theory. Benjamins, Amsterdam. Pp 35- 68
• Badakhshan, E; Zamani, M (2013). "Analysis and Description of Compensatory Lengthening in Kalhori Kurdish Dialect Based on Optimality Theory." Quarterly Journal of Language and Linguistics, Vol. 9, No. 17, pp. 135-149. (in Persian)
• Bijankhan, M (2005). Phonology: Optimality Theory. Tehran: SAMT. (in Persian)
• Dabirmoghaddam, M (2004). "Optimality Theory." Quarterly Journal of Literary Text Research, Vol. 7, No. 20, Summer, pp. 40-52. (in Persian)
• Gheitouri, F (2013). "Morphosyntactic Features of Persian within the Framework of Representational Optimality Theory." International Journal of Humanities, Vol. 20, No. 4, pp. 41-59. (in Persian)
• Jafari, M (2020). "An Analysis of Labial Feature Harmony Phenomenon in Razan, Tabrizi, and Istanbul Turkish Varieties from a Typological Perspective Based on Optimality Theory." Journal of Iranian Linguistics and Dialects, Vol. 5, No. 7, pp. 125-160. (in Persian)
• Khanjan, A; Alinajad, B (2014). "Optimality Analysis of Personalizing Proper Names in Standard Persian." Quarterly Journal of Linguistics, Vol. 6, No. 12, pp. 7-39. (in Persian)
• Kord Zafaranlou, A; Aghagolzadeh, F; Golfam, A; Jam, B (2009). "An Investigation of Heterogeneity Process in Persian Language within the Framework of Optimality Theory." International Journal of Humanities, Vol. 16, No. 2, pp. 59-74. (in Persian)
• McCarthy, J. and A, Prince (1993). Prosodic Morphology: Constraint Interaction and satisfaction. University of Massachusetts: Amherst and Brandeis University
• Mirdahghan, M; Yousefi, S (2016). "Differential Prepositional Marking in Vafsi Dialect within the Framework of Optimality Theory." Journal of Linguistic Inquiry, Vol. 7, No. 31, pp. 197-222. (in Persian)
• Palizban, K; Najafian, A; Karampour, F; Ahmadkhani, M (2019). "The Behavioral Differences of Phonological and Morphophonological Processes within the Framework of Optimality Approach: A Study on the Lenition Process in the Ilami Kurdish Dialect." Quarterly Journal of Western Iranian Languages and Dialects Studies, Vol. 7, No. 26, pp. 17-32. (in Persian)
• Prince, A. and P, Smolensky (1993) Optimality Theory: Constraint Interaction in Generative Grammar. Rutgers University Center for Cognitive Science Technical Report2
• Shaghaghi, V; Heydarpoor Bidgoli, T (2011). "Optimality Theory Approach to Reduplication with a Focus on Reduplicated Words in Persian." Authors, Journal of Linguistic Research, Vol. 3, No. 4, Spring and Summer, pp. 45-66. (in Persian)
• Tafreji Yeganeh, M; Jahanfar, N (2017). "Reduplication Process in Kalhori Kurdish Dialect Based on Optimality Theory." Quarterly Journal of Persian Language and Iranian Dialects, Vol. 2, No. 4, pp. 161-179. (in Persian)
Language Related Research

Articles in Press, Accepted Manuscript
Available Online from 13 July 2025