<OT> New Posting: ROA-686

[Rutgers Optimality Archive]

ROA 686-0904

The evolution of sibilants in Polish and Russian

Jaye Padgett <padgett at ucsc.edu>
Marzena Zygis <marzena at zas.gwz-berlin.de>

Direct link: http://roa.rutgers.edu/view.php3?roa=686


Abstract:
In this paper we provide an account of the historical development of 
Polish and Russian sibilants. The arguments provided here are of 
theoretical interest because they show that (i) certain allophonic 
rules are driven by the need to keep contrasts perceptually distinct, 
(ii) (unconditioned) sound changes result from needs of perceptual 
distinctiveness, and (iii) perceptual distinctiveness can be extended 
to a class of consonants, i.e. the sibilants. The analysis is cast 
within Dispersion Theory, and we provide phonetic and typological data 
supporting the perceptual distinctivenss claims we make.

Comments: Published in ZAS papers in Linguistics 32, T.S. Hall and S. 
Hamann, eds., pp. 155-174.
Keywords:  dispersion theory, contrast, sibilant, perceptual 
distinctiveness, sound change, allophonic rule
Areas: Phonology, Phonetics
Type: Book Chapter

Direct link: http://roa.rutgers.edu/view.php3?roa=686