<OT> New Posting: ROA-906

[roa at ruccs.rutgers.edu]

ROA 906-0307

Morpheme-Specific Phonology: Constraint Indexation and Inconsistency Resolution

Joe Pater <pater at linguist.umass.edu>

Direct link: http://roa.rutgers.edu/view.php3?roa=906


Abstract:
This paper argues that exceptions and other instances of
morpheme-specific phonology are best analyzed in Optimality
Theory (OT) in terms of lexically indexed markedness and
faithfulness constraints. This approach is shown to capture
locality restrictions, distinctions between exceptional
and truly impossible patterns, distinctions between blocking
and triggering, and distinctions between variation and exceptiona
lity. It is contrasted with other OT analyses of exceptions,
in particular those that disallow lexically indexed faithfulness
constraints and those that invoke lexically specified rankings
(that is, cophonologies). The data discussed are from Assamese,
Finnish and Yine (formerly Piro). A learnability account
of the genesis of lexically indexed constraints is also
provided, in which indexation is used to resolve inconsistency
detected by Tesar and Smolensky's (1998, 2000) Recursive
Constraint Demotion algorithm.

Comments: To appear in Steve Parker, (ed.) Phonological Argumentation: Essays on Evidence and Motivation. London: Equinox.
Keywords: exceptions, learnability, lexically specific constraints, cophonology theory, Finnish, Piro, Yine, Assamese, locality
Areas: Phonology
Type: Book Chapter

Direct link: http://roa.rutgers.edu/view.php3?roa=906