An analysis of the Vowel Shortening Process in Persian and Central Kurdish base on Optimal Phonology Approach

The present study investigates and compares the process of vowel shortening in Persian and Central Kurdish languages based on optimization theory. Since almost the same phonological processes occur in co-type languages, despite the long vowels in Persian and Kurdish, it is expected that vowel shortening process will occur in these languages. In the present study, Phonological analysis of data showed that vowel shortening occurs in high and low vowels in both Persian and Kurdish. In Persian, three long vowels /i, u, ɑ/ and in Kurdish, two long vowels /i, ɑ/ undergo vowel shortening process. Depending on the phonetic context, in the both languages the vowel /ɑ/ can only be reduced to two short vowels /e/ and /æ/ in Persian and two short vowels /ə/ and /æ/ in Kurdish. In Persian, the number and variety of context in which long vowels are shortened is more than in Kurdish. Optimality analysis also showed that the type and order of final constraints and marking constraints on the shortening of long vowels /ɑ/ and /i/ are the same in different phonological contexts of Persian and Kurdish.