Abstract: | In the Northeast Caucasian language Chechen the deletion of short vowels is connected with the stress pattern of the language. Data elicited from native speakers indicates that Chechen uses trochees, usually aligns them on the left, and the main stress is on the leftmost foot. This analysis, conducted within the framework of Optimality Theory, links the deletion of short vowels to a tendency to reduce the total number of syllables in a word. The resulting more complex onsets or codas have to adhere to sonority rules. Deletion of short vowels is restricted to those that would otherwise not have been accented, and that are not part of the root of a word. |