<OT> New Posting: ROA-827

[roa at ruccs.rutgers.edu]

ROA 827-0506

Variation and Opacity

Arto Anttila <anttila at stanford.edu>

Direct link: http://roa.rutgers.edu/view.php3?roa=827


Abstract:
Phonological variation and phonological opacity have been
extensively studied independently of each other. This paper
examines two phonological processes that simultaneously
exhibit both phenomena: Assibilation and Apocope in Finnish.
The evidence converges on two main conclusions. First, variation
results from the presence of multiple metrical systems within
Finnish. Assibilation and Apocope are metrically conditioned
alternations and the segmental variation reflects metrical
variation. The metrical analysis explains a number of apparently
unrelated phenomena, including typological asymmetries across
dialects, quantitative asymmetries within dialects, differences
between nouns and verbs, differences among noun classes,
and the loci of lexical frequency effects. Second, phonological
opacity arises from morphological level ordering. By interleaving
transparent phonologies with independently motivated morphosyntac
tic constituents (stems, words, phrases) we derive the transparen
t and opaque interactions of four phonological processes,
including Assibilation and Apocope.

Comments: 
Keywords: variation, opacity, Stratal Optimality Theory, Comparative Markedness
Areas: Phonology, Morphology
Type: Journal Article

Direct link: http://roa.rutgers.edu/view.php3?roa=827