The phonology of English : a prosodic optimality-theoretic approach

Bibliographic Information

The phonology of English : a prosodic optimality-theoretic approach

Michael Hammond

(The phonology of the world's languages)(Oxford linguistics)

Oxford University Press, 1999

  • : hard
  • : pbk

Available at  / 74 libraries

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Note

Includes bibliographical references and indexes

Description and Table of Contents

Volume

: hard ISBN 9780198237976

Description

This text offers an approach to English phonology which focuses on the prosody of the language, ie syllable and foot structure, and does so from an optimality-theoretic (OT) perspective. The emphasis is on surface distributional regularities and the results presented are based on extensive searches through various computerized lexicons. The outcome is a number of new generalizations about the phonology of English, along with confirmation of some familiar regularities. All of these empirical results are discussed in detail and presented in extensive charts with a plethora of examples. The text also offers an OT analysis. This provides an introduction to the intricacies of the theory as applied to a significant amount of data. A number of theoretical proposals are developed in this model, and the analysis presents the idea that certain complex constraints and their ranking can be derived in restricted ways from more basic constraints. In addition, the book also develops the idea that syllables of English can contain from zero to three moras. This book is intended for undergraduates studying linguistics at intermediate level and above; professionals and researchers with an interest in phonology such as, for example, speech pathologists, psychologists, cognitive scientists; and English language specialists.

Table of Contents

  • Some basic ideas: the sounds of English
  • characterizing the sounds of English
  • phonological generalizations
  • treating phonological generalizations
  • optimality theory
  • further reading. Syllables: intuitive evidence for the syllable
  • distributional evidence for a syllable
  • a general theory of the syllable
  • further reading. English syllables: margins and consonants
  • word onsets
  • word-final clusters
  • medial clusters
  • clusters versus margins
  • linear restrictions
  • summary
  • further reading. English syllables: peaks and moras
  • vowels and diphthongs
  • co-occurrence restrictions
  • mora-based restrictions
  • syllabic consonants and [r]
  • summary
  • further reading. Stress, accent, and feet: what is stress?
  • what is a metrical foot?
  • intuitive evidence for the foot
  • distributional evidence for the foot
  • general theory of the foot
  • further reading. Syllables and stress: basic distributional regularities
  • the analysis
  • summary
  • further reading. The rightmost stress: review of previous results
  • the basic analysis
  • the role of syllable weight
  • other nominal stress patterns
  • final syllables
  • verbs and adjectives
  • summary
  • further reading. Other stresses: long vowels
  • nonfinal primary stress
  • morphemes and feet
  • summary
  • further reading. Some remaining issues: statistics
  • Russian
  • remaining issues
  • further reading
  • references.
Volume

: pbk ISBN 9780198700296

Description

The Phonology of English offers a new approach to English phonology. It focuses on the prosody of the language, i.e. syllable and foot structure, and does so from an optimality-theoretic (OT) perspective. The focus is on surface distributional regularities and the results presented are based on extensive searches through various computerized lexicons. The outcome is a number of new generalizations about the phonology of English, along with confirmation of some familiar regularities. All of these empirical results are discussed in detail and presented in extensive charts with a plethora of examples. The Phonology of English also offers a unique OT analysis. This provides a detailed introduction to the intricacies of the theory as applied to a significant amount of data. A number of important theoretical proposals are developed in this model, and the analysis presents the idea that certain complex constraints and their ranking can be derived in restricted ways from more basic constraints. In addition, the book also develops the idea that syllables of English can contain from zero to three moras. It is suggested that the phonology of English only makes sense if partial morphemes of the cranberry sort are licensed more widely. The book is thus intended as a detailed presentation of novel empirical results about the sound system of English, along with important theoretical results about phonological theory.

Table of Contents

  • 1. Some Basic Ideas
  • The sounds of English
  • Characterizing the sounds of English
  • Phonological generalizations
  • Treating phonological generalizations
  • Optimality Theory
  • Further reading
  • 2. Syllables
  • Intuitive evidence for the syllable
  • Distributional evidence for a syllable
  • A general theory of the syllable
  • Further reading
  • 3. English Syllables: margins and consonants
  • Word onsets
  • Word-final clusters
  • Medial clusters
  • Clusters vs. margins
  • Linear restrictions
  • Summary
  • Further reading
  • 4. English syllables: peaks and moras
  • Vowels and diphthongs
  • Co-occurrence restrictions
  • Mora-based restrictions
  • Syllabic consonants and [r]
  • Summary
  • Further reading
  • 5. Stress, Accent, and Feet
  • What is stress?
  • What is a metrical foot?
  • Intuitive evidence for the foot
  • Distributional evidence for the foot
  • General theory of the foot
  • Further reading
  • 6. Syllables and Stress
  • Basic distributional regularities
  • The analysis
  • Summary
  • Further reading
  • 7. The Rightmost Stress
  • Review of previous results
  • The basic analysis
  • The role of syllable weight
  • Other nominal stress patterns
  • Final syllables
  • Verbs and adjectives
  • Summary
  • Further reading
  • 8. Other Stresses
  • Other stresses
  • Long vowels
  • Nonfinal primary stress
  • Morphemes and feet
  • Summary
  • Further reading
  • 9
  • Some remaining issues
  • Statistics
  • Russian
  • Remaining issues
  • Further reading
  • References

by "Nielsen BookData"

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Details

  • NCID
    BA41038165
  • ISBN
    • 0198237979
    • 0198700296
  • LCCN
    98048472
  • Country Code
    uk
  • Title Language Code
    eng
  • Text Language Code
    eng
  • Place of Publication
    Oxford ; New York ; Tokyo
  • Pages/Volumes
    xiii , 368 p.
  • Size
    24 cm
  • Classification
  • Subject Headings
  • Parent Bibliography ID
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