An Optimality Analysis of Some Phonological Processes of Roudbari language variety (Islam Abad)

The purpose of the present article is to investigate some phonological processes such as consonantal fronting, spirantization, initial insertion, non-contiguous assimilation, debuccalization, stopping and final devoicing in Roudbari language variety (Islam Abad), within the framework of optimality theory (Prince and Smolensky, 1993; 2004). This research was carried out based on a descriptive-analytic method. To collect data, 10 native informants (5 women and 5 men in the ages from 45 to 80, from low literate/ illiterate to educated) have been interviewed. Also, some available sources on Roudbari language variety were used. To investigate, describe and analyze the data, the most important dominant constrains over optimal surfaces have been explained for each of the phonological processes examined in this research within the given framework of optimality theory (Prince and Smolensky, 1993; 2004). These explanations have been provided through giving the reason for constrains responsible for the occurrence of these processes and their rankings. Description and ranking of constraints indicate that constraints *G and ONSET are never violated and always are posited at the highest rank of optimality tableau.