Haile, Alemeyehu (PhD)Adem, Abdurahim2018-07-062023-11-092018-07-062023-11-091993-06http://etd.aau.edu.et/handle/123456789/6989Girirra is a language assumed to belong to the Cushitic language family, particularly to the Lowland East Cushitic sub-group. It is a newly "discovered" language and as far as the writer knows, this is the first attempt to describe it. The main purpose of this study is to examine the sound system oi this language. In the study, twelve distinctive features are assumed to characterize all the sound segments of the lenguage. The thesis has identified a total of 24 sound segments. Length in each segment is considered to be distinctive. The segments are represented in terms of feature-hierarchy (or ieeture geometry). This means that individuel fea.tures are organized hierarchically under superordinate autosegmental nodes known a.s class nodes. The class nodes are themselves dominated by yet a higher level class node which is referred to as the root node. This in turn is linked to the skeletal tier. This model is a.ssumed to provide the motivation for the assimilatory processes in Girirra. which includes, lebializ ation, nasalization, place a.nd voice assimil ation. end glottalizetion The syllable structu re of Girirre. is also examined within the non-linear approech of phonology. The sylleble structure provides em edequate explanation for certain phonological processes such as insertion. deletion and gemination. Thus. we insert a syllable in a word to breek en unwanted cluster and delete a syllable to maintain the wellformedness condition of a word. Consonant or vowel lengthening (geminate) is also another phonological process that could be expressed with the help of syllable structu re . The 'Miter hopes that the study is significant in providing a pre liminary e.nalysis of the language. undescribed up to now and in testing some of the assumptions of phonological the ories proposed on the basis of other languages.enPhonologyThesis