<OT> New Posting: ROA-1027

[roa at ruccs.rutgers.edu]

ROA 1027-0409

Consonant-Tone Interaction in Optimality Theory

Seunghun Lee <juliolee at gmail.com>

Direct link: http://roa.rutgers.edu/view.php3?roa=1027


Abstract:
Consonant-Tone Interaction in Optimality Theory
by Seunghun J. Lee

This dissertation presents a constraint-based theory of
consonant-tone interaction called the Extended Tone Bearing
Unit Theory (xTBU theory). In this presentation, I provide
synchronic evidence from a variety of languages that shows
how laryngeal features can influence tone. These laryngeal
features include voicing, aspiration, glottalization, and
voicelessness.


There are three parts to xTBU theory: representation, markedness
constraints, and faithfulness constraints. I propose that
while tone prefers to associate to moras, tone can also
be associated to non-moraic root nodes. I argue that tone
directly associated to root nodes acts differently from
tone associated to moras due to the interaction of constraints.


The presence and type of directly associated tone is restricted
by markedness constraints only. Constraints such as *[+SPREAD
GLOTTIS]/L can prevent H tone from spreading over spread
glottis consonants; it can also force L tone to change to
H, and even force consonants to change their laryngeal features.
A significant result is the ability of the constraints to
account for apparently unnatural classes of tone-affecting
consonants.


An important aspect of the constraint formalism in xTBU
theory is that faithfulness constraints only target tone
associated to moras; they never target tone associated to
non-moraic root-nodes. The lack of faithfulness to directly
associated tone means that tone is not contrastive when
associated to non-moraic root nodes. Consequently, tone
on non-moraic segments is only regulated by markedness constraint
s.

Comments: 
Keywords: Tone, Consonant-tone interaction, Phonological typology
Areas: Phonology
Type: PhD Dissertation

Direct link: http://roa.rutgers.edu/view.php3?roa=1027