UT

Mallorquí

As noted in the last section, we are interested what happens when a word ending in a stop is followed by another consonant in word initial position, producing a C1C2 cluster across the word boundary. The examples in (2) show that when C1 is a velar stop, it acquires the voicing and place features of another stop in C2 position in Mallorquí, producing a fully assimilated geminate.

(2) Stop clusters with velar C 1 in Mallorquí
Mallorquí English Gloss
puc banyar [pub bəɲa] 'I can wet'
poc beneficiós [pɔb bənəfisios] 'not very beneficious'
poc pan [pɔp pa] 'little (not much) bread'
puc plorar [pup ploɾa] 'I can cry'
poc tros [pɔt tɾos] 'small piece, few pieces'
puc tenir [put təni] 'I can have'
poc de mel [pɔd də mɛl] 'a bit of honey'
puc dormir [pud doɾmi] 'I can sleep'
puc cantar [puk kənta] 'I can sing'
puc guanyar [pug gwəɲa] 'I can win'

The forms in (3) show that an alveolar stop in C1 also assimilates to the following consonant in Mallorquí.

(3) Stop clusters with alveolar C 1 in Mallorquí
Mallorquí English Gloss
pot pensar [pɔp pənsa] 's/he can think'
plat preparat [plap pɾəpəɾat] 'prepared plate'
pot botar [pɔb bota] 's/he can jump'
fet blat [feb blat] 'made wheat'
pot dormir [pɔd doɾmi] 's/he can sleep'
pot de pesols [pɔd də pezols] 'can of green peas'
pot comprar [pɔk kompɾa] 's/he can buy'
plat concret [plak konkɾet] 'specific plate'
pot guanyar [pɔg gwəɲa] 's/he can win'

Finally, in (4) we see the same effect with labial stops in C1 position.

(4) Stop clusters with labial C 1 in Mallorquí
Mallorquí English Gloss
cap bici [kab bisi] 'no bike'
cap banda [kab bandə] 'nowhere'
sap plorar [sap ploɾa] 's/he knows (how to) cry'
cap tros [kat tɾɔs] 'no piece'
sap tot [sat tot] 's/he knows it all'
cap dur [kad du] 'tough head (stubborn)'
xarop dolç [ʃəɾɔd dols] 'sweet syrup'
cap gros [kag gɾɔs] 'big head'
sap contar [sak konta] 's/he knows (how to) count'
cap cantó [kak kənto] 'no corner (no spot)'

Note that assimilation is always regressive: there are no cases such as *[kap pənto] in which the /k/ of canto assimilates to the /p/ of cap.

As a first approach to an analysis of this phenomenon, let us adopt the rule in (5), which treats both place and voice assimilation as elements of a single sound process.

(5) Mallorquí stop assimilation
[-sonorant, -continuant] [αvoice, βplace]
/
_____
#
[-sonorant, -continuant,
αvoicing, βplace]

Next, we look at how the stop sequences seen in this section are realized in the Central variety of Catalan.

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