Maltese morphophonemics

Abstract

This article contains just a portion of a description of Maltese, which forms part of a larger work "The Phonology and Morphology of Maltese". It is based on the native speech of the author who was born in the town of Sliema, Malta, and lived there for fifteen years. Maltese displays a considerable variety of synchronic morphophonemic changes (both segmental and prosodic) largely dictated by phonotactic constraints in the language. This paper will deal specifically with phonologically defined alternations, which are, in the main, automatic. They include partial and complete assimilation (progressive and regressive), dissimilation, neutralization of voicing in prejunctural position, loss of segmental length, stress shift, replacement of Vowels in unstressed position, epenthesis, metathesis and vowel-semivowel alternation.