Positional Strength Approach to Initial Fortition in Persian Language

Abstract

Fortition as one of the common phonological processes is the opposite of lenition. It occurs mostly in the initial position of the syllables and words. The present research has studied the fortition processes and evolutions from the Middle Persian to the Modern Persian based on positional strength approach, sonority sequencing principle (SSP), and syllable contact law (SCL). To do this, 120 middle Persian words were selected from different Pahlavi dictionaries and were analyzed. The research findings are as follows: 1. Middle Persian words in their evolution to Modern Persian have undergone occlusivization, glide fricativization, buccalization, devoicing, and insertion on their initial positions; 2. The process of glide fricativization in the initial position of syllables has occurred based on sonority sequencing principle and syllable contact law, and it has also occurred to keep syntagmatic and pragmatic oppositions. 3. The strong position of words and syllables in their evolutions from the Middle Persian to the Modern Persian is disjunctive. 4. The fortition trajectory from the Middle Persian to the Modern Persian has two dimensions namely desonorization and the change in laryngeal position and the place of articulation.

Keywords

• positional strength
• fortition
• syllable contact law
• sonority sequencing principle
• middle persian