ONSET AFFRICATE-STOP CLUSTERS IN CROATIAN

Sa？etak It is explained why affricate-stop sequences should be included among acceptable Croatian syllable onsets. First, there are a few words with initial affricate-stop cluster (e.g. Cr. ？komiti ‘be silent, hold one’s tongue’), in which the fricative sound often alternates with the corresponding affricate sound (e.g. Cr. ？bun ‘bush’ → d？bun). Second, there is the slang metathesis in which affricate-stop clusters become initial onsets (e.g. Cr. pi？ka ‘cunt’ → ？kapi). Third, there is syllabification in chanting, at sport stadiums or in rock songs. If affricate sounds are more sonorous than stops, which is not beyond doubt, the onset affricate-stop cluster would be yet another case of violating the Sonority Sequencing Principle, beside the well-known case of the onset fricative-stop clusters (e.g. E. spoon, street, Cr. spor ‘slow’, strah ‘fear’)