<OT> New Posting: ROA-870

[roa at ruccs.rutgers.edu]

ROA 870-0906

Osage fills the gap: The quantity insensitive iamb & the typology of feet

Daniel Altshuler <daltshul at rci.rutgers.edu>

Direct link: http://roa.rutgers.edu/view.php3?roa=870


Abstract:
This paper presents evidence for the quantity insensitive
(QI) iamb, the existence of which is important because it
fills an empirical gap that-while is generally denied-is
nonetheless predicted by many extant prosodic theories (e.g.
Prince & Smolensky 1991/2004, McCarthy & Prince 1993, Halle
& Vergnaud 1987). Given the standard view that QI trochees
exist, QI iambs in Osage show that whether a foot is right
or left-headed in a given language is independent of whether
stress in that language is affected by the moraic make-up
of syllables (contra the generally held view).
       The claim that QI iambs exist is not new, but until
now there has been no unambiguous evidence for them. Previously
cited cases either do not have a contrast between short
and long vowels and/or can be reanalyzed as trochaic. Osage
is the first clear case with QI iambic feet.

Comments: 
Keywords: stress/accent, tone, iamb, quantity (in)sensitive, foot typology, Osage, Siouan
Areas: Phonology
Type: Manuscript

Direct link: http://roa.rutgers.edu/view.php3?roa=870