A Constraint-Based Re-Analysis of Cyrenaican Libyan Arabic: A Prosodic Buffer, Morphological Consistency, Phonological Optionality, and Variable Optimality Theory Rankings in Almarj Dialect

Abstract

This research provides a thorough, constraint-driven morphophonological examination of Almarj dialect of Eastern Libyan Arabic (Cyrenaican Libyan Arabic; CLA), comparing its structural mechanics concepts with the phonological hypotheses developed for Western varieties, namely Misrata Libyan Arabic (MLA), as identified by Elramli (2012). This study employs Parallel and Stochastic Optimality Theory (Prince & Smolensky, 1993/2002; Boersma & Hayes, 2001) to explore local assimilatory processes, structural repair strategies, and phonetic variation throughout various morphological contexts rather than utilizing new field data. Using an in-depth re-analysis of the phonic grid, it was observed that whereas MLA addresses Obligatory Contour Principle (OCP) breaches on the coronal tier through categorical, local regressive assimilation, Almarj dialect has highly ordered structural diversity. This study tends to centre on the derivation of Form V (tafaʕʕal) and Form VI (tafāʕal) verbal patterns and their equivalent agentive nouns (ism al-fāʕil). It exhibits the notion of the prosodic buffer, which is a structural mechanism where phonemic vowel length constraints, decreases the influence of assimilation triggers, and permits the optionality to their utilisation. Finally, this study aims to discern the various constraint hierarchies that distinguish Almarj dialect, offering a new template for comprehending dialectal variation included in the Libyan Arabic continuum.