A Grammar of Madurese

46 Chapter 2 Phonology

6. Morphophonemic processes

There are a number of morphophonemic rules which apply only in the environ-
ment of specific morphemes.

j-epenthesis. Discussed in the previous section is j-epenthesis, the sole excep-
tion to glottal insertion and a process distinct from glide epenthesis. j-epenthesis
occurs only when the object voice prefix - precedes a stem-initial  or when

the object of the preposition ɛ ‘at’ has a stem-initial ɛ. In this environment, the
palatal glide [j] is epenthesized between the two vowels.

(58) ɛ + ɛinɛ  [ɛjɛinɛ] ‘be allowed’
ɛ + ɛnɔm  [ɛjɛnɔm] ‘be drunk’
ɛ +ɛlɔ  [ɛjɛlɔ] ‘in (the) nose’

Nasal replacement. As described briefly in section 4, when the nasal actor voice
morpheme - is affixed to a verb root, the nasal assimilates to the place of arti-

culation of an immediately following obstruent, replacing the obstruent. Excep-
tional in this regard is the replacement of /s/ by the palatal nasal []. This

process operates only with the - actor voice prefix.^30 The dental nasal [n] rep-

laces both dental and alveolar/retroflex obstruents, and the palatal nasal [ɲ] re-
sults when the actor voice is prefixed to a root with an s-initial stem. The actor
voice prefix is realized as [] when it precedes a vowel, l, r, or h. Only [h] de-
letes in the presence of [].^31

(^30) The process does surface again with process nominals such as panolessa [panolssa]
‘writing’. However, as discussed in Chapter 4 section 4.1.2.8, this form combines the pa
prefix with the actor voice form of the verb. Thus, the underlying form is /pa +  + tols

• na/, and the nasal in this form is the same instance of nasal replacement illustrated in
  (54). The change in the form of the definite suffix /na/  [sa] is explained in section
  2.6.
  (^31) By and large, roots with an initial aspirated or voiced consonant tend to take the a-
  actor voice prefix rather than the nasal, a point noted by Stevens (1968) and amply do-
  cumented there. However, speakers of the Western dialect have a tendency to use the
  nasal prefix somewhat more liberally, and in those cases the homorganic nasal replaces
  the initial consonant of the root.