The phonetic implementation of falling pitch accents in dialectal Maltese : a preliminary study of the intonation of Gozitan Żebbuġi

Abstract

This chapter examines one aspect of intonation in a dialect of Maltese, the phonetic implementation of falling pitch accents in data taken from an interview involving a Maltese dialectal speaker from the village of Żebbuġ, Gozo. The chapter begins with an introduction to Malta and a brief look at the status of Maltese as a national language. A discussion of factors relating to the origins and development of Maltese, including its relationship to Arabic follows. A brief overview of work on dialectal variation in Maltese with particular reference to work on the phonetics and phonology of both Standard Maltese and its dialects is then provided. The chapter then outlines the framework of intonational phonology within which the description of intonation presented here is couched. There follows a description of the material from which the data analysed here was taken as well as of the analysis procedure used in the study. Data analysed is then discussed and issues arising from the findings put forward. The conclusion outlines possibilities for future work in this area.