<OT> New Posting: ROA-718

[roa at ruccs.rutgers.edu]

ROA 718-0305

Cluster Reduction: Deletion or Coalescence?

Max Wheeler <m.w.wheeler at sussex.ac.uk>

Direct link: http://roa.rutgers.edu/view.php3?roa=718


Abstract:
A consequence of Correspondence Theory in OT is that, for
processes such as cluster reduction, if MAX outranks UNIFORMITY,
candidates displaying coalescence are preferred to those
displaying true deletion. It is thus incumbent on the analyst
to identify the constraints that select appropriate coalescence
candidates, even for apparent �deletion� cases. I show how
Lamontagne & Rice�s (1995) account of the D-effect in Navajo
must be modified to ensure the correct outcome in a language
where both coalescence and apparent deletion are repairs
to cluster constraint violations. If, for other reasons,
it is necessary that UNIFORMITY outrank MAX, the admission
of MAX(Feature) constraints becomes unavoidable. An analysis
of certain cluster reduction phenomena in Ibiza Catalan
shows how complex coda constraints, perceptual markedness
constraints for clusters, Paradigm Uniformity, and featural
faithfulness interact to derive a pattern of contextual
variation. The paper includes a review of Correspondence
Theory focusing on its effects in cluster reduction.

Comments: 
Keywords: phonology, Optimality Theory, Correspondence Theory, coalescence, deletion, fusion, cluster reduction, Navajo, Ibiza Catalan
Areas: Phonology
Type: Journal Article

Direct link: http://roa.rutgers.edu/view.php3?roa=718