Emergent Syllable Complexity in Colloquial Bamana.

Data from two varieties of Bamanankan, or Bambara, a Mande language spoken in Mali and surrounding nations, illustrate differences in permissible syllable shapes between the variants. A comparison of the Classic variety of the language spoken in Ségou and that spoken by a younger cohort of individuals in the Malian capital reveals that the latter variety is synchronically developing complex CCV and CVC syllable shapes primarily through vocalic syncope, whereas the classical variety permits only maximal CV syllables. Data presented in this study show that this complexification of syllables in Bamako Bamana is one manifestation of the overall drive towards word minimization in this variety of the language. These data illustrate that this variety of Bamana has preferential patterns of deletion that are largely dependent on phonotactic constraints and permissible syllable contact that results from syncope. Additionally, other processes that interact with syncope or prevent it from occurring are explored.