Feature correspondence amongst Dholuo coronals

Abstract

This paper discusses the nature of correspondence amongst Dholuo coronals. This can be approached in two ways, either as feature spreading or feature agreement which seem to be controversial in literature. Dholuo coronal harmony involves action at a distance; it spans over vowels and/or consonants. Data reveals that features affected are non contiguous and therefore only the targeted elements are affected. The fact that coronal harmony affects non-local segments rules out feature spreading. The alveolar nasal blocks the propagation of harmony phenomena as it remains unaffected hence co occurs with dentals. The existence of transparent elements within the spreading domain weakens the hypothesis of feature spreading amongst Dholuo coronals. Coronal harmony takes place when segments agree in the specification for the feature distributed [±dist].