Determining the Exact Conditions That Affect Grapheme-Phoneme Correspondence Rules With Generative Phonology: A Case Study of Transliteration From the Balinese Script to Latin

This study aims to investigate the precise conditions required to establish rules governing grapheme-phoneme correspondence (GPC) for six vowel graphemes in the Balinese script: <ᬳ> /a/, <ᬳᬶ> /i/, <ᬳᬸ> /u/, <ᬳᬾ> /e/, <ᬳᭀ> /o/, <ᬳᭂ> /ǝ/. The data were derived from 2,274 lemmas listed in the Balinese dictionary, which utilizes both Latin and Balinese scripts. The formulation of GPC rules is based on an analysis of underlying representations and morphemic structure conditions. Initial descriptions of the rules in ordinary language were subsequently converted into formal notations using the framework of four types of generative phonological rules. The GPC rules for the six vowel graphemes are derived from the independent underlying GPC <ᬳ> /ha/ and dependent markers for vowels: <ᬶ>/i/, <ᬸ>/u/, <ᬾ>/e/, <ᬾ᭡>/o/, <ᭂ>/ǝ/. The analysis of morphemic structure conditions within canonical patterns reveals that syllable-initial positions serve as the environment that triggers changes in the underlying forms. Two key rules govern the GPC for these six vowel graphemes: (1) the deletion of voiceless glottal consonants and (2) sequential rules, which include the heightening of low vowels and the deletion of the voiceless glottal /h/. The exact conditions represent definitive statements that underpin the development of GPC alternation rules. These rules, which systematically map sequences of orthographic units onto their corresponding linguistic forms, provide a foundation for analyzing the transparency of a writing system.