Syllables In Tashlhiyt Berber And In Moroccan Arabic (International Handbooks of Linguistics)

This book deals with syllable structure in the two main languages spoken in Morocco. Its theoretical outlook is that of generative phonology.
We first deal with Tashlhiyt Berber. This language has a syllable structure with properties which are highly unusual. On the one hand, complex consonant sequences are a common occurrence in the surface representations. On the other hand, syllable structure is very simple. The way these two conflicting demands are reconciled is by allowing vowelless syllables. Any consonant may act as a syllable nucleus. Nuclear status is preferentially assigned to segments which are more sonorous than their neighbours.
In the last two chapters we argue that our conclusions about Tashlhiyt Berber carry over to a certain extent to Moroccan Arabic. The inventories of syllable types of the two languages are very similar. Unlike Tashlhiyt, Moroccan Arabic has an epenthetic vowel, but it also allows vowelless syllables.