• Ashique Shoukath P

Cross- linguistically, marked segment in a phonological system is characterized to show resistance to phonological alternation (Rice (1999), de Lacy (2006). The paper analyzes nasal gemination phonological processes that involve retroflex sounds, a sound category usually considered as a marked segment, along with alveolar sounds in Malayalam. Malayalam retroflex sounds in fact conform to the universal notion that marked segments are triggers in a phonological process, where in the process when the euphonic retroflex nasal trigger the process forcing the dental to take its nasality and becomes a nasal geminate.

Nasal gemination, retroflex, alveolar, markedness

"Nasal Gemination in Malayalam: A phonological account with special reference to retroflex sounds", International Journal of Emerging Technologies and Innovative Research (www.jetir.org), ISSN:2349-5162, Vol.5, Issue 3, page no.378-390, March-2018, Available :http://www.jetir.org/papers/JETIR1803333.pdf

"Nasal Gemination in Malayalam: A phonological account with special reference to retroflex sounds", International Journal of Emerging Technologies and Innovative Research (www.jetir.org | UGC and issn Approved), ISSN:2349-5162, Vol.5, Issue 3, page no. pp378-390, March-2018, Available at : http://www.jetir.org/papers/JETIR1803333.pdf