A study of Takestan Tati clitics and final consonant elision on the basis of the Optimality Theory

The present study is an attempt to investigate the morpho-phonological clitics in the Tati dialect of Takestan in the light of optimality theory. Morpho-phonological processes are phonological changes occurring in a morphological context, i.e., those that happen between morphemes. They are phonologically governed. The research was analytical and the data were collected from Tati books and local media. This study probes into the application of the morpho-phonological processes in the clitics of the Takestani Tati dialect from an Optimality Theory point of view. The results illustrated that in Tati, both elision and insertion processes happen in morphological borders, highlighting conspiracy in this language. In other words, this study concluded that the global ranking constraints also apply to Tati and the constraints in the Tati dialect were in line with the universal ones. The present study can add to the linguistic scope and knowledge of scholars, further acquainting the researchers with the morpho-phonological processes of the Tati dialect and its adaptation to the universalities of this realm.