On the acquisition of vowel weight in Standard Amazigh

The present paper seeks to provide an account for the acquisition of vowel weight in Standard Amazigh (SA). The contention in this study is that SA learners with a mother tongue like Tarifit, are at an advantage, so long as they are moving from a system that is comparatively marked to one that is unmarked weight-wise. Making use of the Constraint Demotion Algorithm of Tesar and Smolensky (2000), this study predicts that such an acquisition process is relatively easy, since SA does not include such complex, marked segments as diphthongs and long vowels, which will otherwise constitute an acquisition burden. The paper concludes that learning SA vowel weight by these learners requires no specific formal instruction on the grounds of both positive and negative evidence available to them. Revue Langues et Littératures, Vol. 22 (2012)