Phonotactics

Phonotactics

Maximal syllable structure is CVC. The syllable template more broadly seems to be (C)V(V)(C), with an optional onset and coda, and the option of short or long vowels completely independent of these. Any C may appear in the onset, and so far it appears that any C may appear in the coda. To perform this analysis is it necessary to assume that prenasalized stops, which may occur alone in both onsets and codas, are actually single segments rather than sequences of nasal + voiced stop.

C.C clusters are allowed medially where the coda of one syllable meets the onset of a following syllable, but no CCC clusters of any sort are attested, even in loanwords.

Word minimality

There is currently a limited number of verb root shapes attested. They are:

• CV(V)
• CV(V)C
• CVCV(V)C

Verbs, however, always have some added phonological material when they are spoken naturally (e.g., /bug/ "love" is never CVC *bug, but is at least bugaam "I love", etc).

Noun stems have the attested shapes (minus noun class/gender markers, of the shape (C)V-). Note that no noun stem attested so far has fewer than two consonants in its stem.

• CV(V)C
• CV(V)CV
• CV(V)CV(V)C(V) etc.

The evidence thus far points to the minimal word in Sereer as being CVC, which happens to match the maximal syllable CVC (as might be expected). More investigation is needed on this point, however.