Fonologi Rangkap Vokal Dan Kepelbagaian Dialek Melayu: Analisis Teori Optimaliti.

This paper discusses the phonology of vowel sequences in four major dialects of Malay, namely Johor dialect, Kedah dialect, Perak dialect and Kelantan dialect. The present study utilizes secondary data cited from previous works (Asmah Haji Omar, 1985; Raja Mukhtaruddin, 1986; Ajid Che Kob, 1984; Teoh Boon Seong, 1994). The phonological analysis proposed in this study is set within the constraint-based approach of optimality theory (Prince & Smolensky, 2004; McCarthy, 2008). It is apparent that all these dialects generally disfavor the occurrence of vowel sequences in the surface representation as they incur onset violation. In the ruled-based approach, underlying vowel sequences are resolved by phonological processes, such as V-deletion, V-coalescence, diphtongization, and ambisyllabification. Each dialect employs different strategy in resolving the sequences, which consequently gives forth dialectal variation in the language. In the constrained-based approach of optimality theory, phonological variation in the Malay dialects is analyzed as the result of satisfying and violating of the universal wellformedness constraints, and each dialect is imposing a particular ranking on those universal constraints. The following constraints, namely *COMPLEX, *VC], CONTIGUITY and WRD≥FOOT are highly ranked and unviolable in the dialects. The constraints that can be violated are ONSET, UNIFORMITY, INTEGRITY, MAX-IO, *CODA, and these constraints are ranked differently in each dialect. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]