The syllable representation in Kisukuma: the case of Jidakama Dialect.

This dissertation describes the syllable structure of Kisukuma taking Jidakama dialect as the case study. The study establishes that the four syllable-initial consonants (onsets) (i.e. CCCC) in Jidakama dialect, are the result of the application of phonological processes. In relation to the other one-to-three normal onsets, there is scanty literature on four onset members in general. This work on four syllable-initial consonants is central and perhaps the only one to-date. The study tries to give some light on the phonological status of the four onset members. In short, the study looks at the syllable structure of this language. It attempts to establish phonological rules to explain the incidents of consonant clusters in the language. The study concludes by demonstrating that there is a close relationship between the phonological processes and the syllable structure of the language.