Representation of velar palatalisations in non-linear phonology

Fischer Mónika

2012

06. Bölcsészettudományok

06.02. Nyelvek és irodalom

06.02.06. Nyelvészet

The paper is an attempt to find a satisfactory formulation of palatalisation. It searches for an optimal representation of the sounds taking part in the palatalisation process. Namely, there are three subtypes of palatalisation: addition of secondary palatal articulation, shift of coronal place of articulation and shift of velar place of articulation. The trigger segments of all three subtypes of palatalisation are front vowels and the palatal glide. The paper adopts a combination of two non-linear theories, Government Phonology and Feature Geometry, as its framework. This combination is named Element Geometry. In an Element Geometry based approach, sounds are represented as hierarchically organised structures. The terminal nodes of the structures are the unary elements of GP, and the elements grouped functionally form the class nodes of the structures. Each phonological process is either spreading or delinking of a terminal or a class node. Consequently, palatalisation is viewed as an assimilatory process with insertion of an association line. The paper examines data from English and Serbian. English palatalisation is a case of 'palatal' element spreading, whereas first velar palatalisation in Serbian raises the more general issue of the representation of the 'coronal' element. Namely, the outcomes of first velar palatalisation have the 'coronal' element in their representation, although that element is absent from the representation of both the input and the trigger segments. The alternative solution suggested in the paper is to adopt a three-element inventory that is the same for consonants and vowels. According to this system, coronality is expressed with the element for 'palatality'. Alveolars and dentals are represented as having only this element, whereas palatals are complex corono-dorsals having both a coronal and a dorsal element in their expression. Consequently, velar palatalisations are represented as spreading the 'palatal' element and a uniform representation of palatal assimilation is achieved.

magyar

angol

Könyv része

NonPeerReviewed

part

http://acta.bibl.u-szeged.hu/68852/1/papers_022_035-068.pdf

Fischer Mónika: Representation of velar palatalisations in non-linear phonology. In: Papers in English and American studies : Tomus XXII. - Distinguished Szeged student papers, (22). pp. 35-68. (2012)

http://acta.bibl.u-szeged.hu/68852/