A STUDY OF PHONOLOGICAL PROCESSES IN WASSA

ABSTRACT

This thesis presents some phonological processes in Amenfi and Fiase dialects of Wassa. Wassa is one of the unwritten and least studied languages in Ghana. The language belongs to the Niger Congo language family. The study is cast within the theoretical framework of autosegmental phonology. The approach applied in this dissertation is qualitative. Data for the analyses are drawn from both primary and secondary sources. The phonological processes discussed in this work include vowel harmony, labialization, palatalization, elision, insertion, compensatory lengthening and consonant mutation. Both dialects of Wassa operate a limited stem-controlled Advanced Tongue Root (ATR) vowel harmony system. There is also evidence of raising of the low vowel /a/ to mid back vowel in the same compound name in Amenfi. The phenomenon where plosives and affricates change into a nasal is a similar process in Amenfi and Fiase. Also, the phenomenon of consonant mutation where obstruents becomes voiced in the environment of nasals is very productive in Wassa. Bilabial lenition where bilabial /b/ lenites to [m] is also a phonological process in Amenfi dialect. Future affix deletion in the environment of first personal pronoun and deletion of the future and progressive in the environment of the negative are all similar phonological processes shared by both dialects. Finally, the past and progressive affixes are lengthened in both dialects.