Conformity to the obligatory contour principle and the strict layer hypothesis: the avoidance of initial gemination in Maltese

This research investigates how the avoidance of initial gemination in Maltese is motivated by conformity to the Obligatory Contour Principle (OCP) and the Strict Layer Hypothesis (SLH) in light of Optimality Theory (OT) as a framework. The data of this study were collected and analyzed qualitatively. The data in this study were harvested from existing literature reviews peculiar to the Phonology of Maltese. Furthermore, the same data were verified by consulting several native speakers of Maltese when necessary. This study concludes that initial gemination in Semitic verbs of pattern V (t-C₁iC₂C₂eC₃) derives from the assimilation of the [+coronal] feature of prefixes to the initial consonant of the following stem to conform to the OCP. Vowel prosthesis helps to affiliate an initial semi-syllable, as the peripheral member of this type of gemination, to the syllable node in order to comply with the SLH. Vowel prosthesis serves to ensure conformity to the OCP and to geminate integrity by the underlying initial geminates in non-Semitic verbs (from English and Italian) of CC-stems, which obey the SLH since their members belong to the same morpheme, unlike derivational forms. This research demonstrates the insightfulness of Optimality Theory (OT) as a framework to account for these phenomena in Maltese. The results of this study lead to future research pertinent to the analysis of both segmental and suprasegmental structures in Maltese in light of OT and their relationship to other languages such as Arabic, English, and Italian.