English Sound Structure

✍ Scribed by John Harris

• Publisher: Blackwell Publishers
• Year: 1995
• Tongue: English
• Leaves: 331
• Category: Library

✦ Synopsis

Primarily designed as a text for use on intermediate and advanced courses in English phonology, this book is aimed at those interested in recent developments in phonological theory. The discussion proceeds on the assumption that phonological differences between grammars, no less than syntactic differences, are constrained by universal principles and occur within fixed bounds defined by a relatively small number of parameters. The impact of this view on phonological theory is illustrated by analysis of a wide range of pronunication variables in English which offer insights into the limits of phonological variation. The book explores recent innovations in non-linear theory, focusing on the internal composition of segments and the manner in which these are organized into prosodic constituents. Phenomena discussed in connection with these developments include vowel length, weakening and vowel reduction, and syncope. A pivotal role is assigned to phonological licensing, which controls the ability of different positions in the prosodic hierarchy to support segmental contrasts.

✦ Table of Contents

Cover......Page 1
Title......Page 3
Contents......Page 5
Note on Transcription......Page 9
Preface......Page 11
1.1 Phonology in generative grammar......Page 15
2.1 Alternations......Page 17
2.2 Distribution......Page 18
3.1 Principles vs. rules......Page 20
3.2 Linear rules and representations......Page 22
3.3 Non-linear representations......Page 27
3.4 Parametric variation......Page 29
4.1 English morphology......Page 32
4.2 The phonology of roots and words......Page 34
4.3 Morphological vs. phonological domains......Page 39
Exercises......Page 42
2.1 Non-linear phonological representations......Page 46
2.1 Introduction......Page 47
2.2 Compensatory lengthening......Page 48
2.3 Diphthongs and affricates......Page 51
3.2 Stress and constituency......Page 56
3.3 The 'syllable'......Page 59
3.4 Phonotactics......Page 60
4.1 Some traditional assumptions......Page 67
4.2 Onsets......Page 68
4.3 Rhymes......Page 77
4.4 'Codas'......Page 80
4.5 'Appendices'......Page 95
4.6 The rhyme: summary......Page 96
2.5 Syllabification......Page 97
Exercises......Page 98
2.1 Sounds are componential......Page 104
2.2 Privativeness vs. equipollence......Page 105
2.3 Phonetic interpretation......Page 108
3.1 A.I.U......Page 111
3.2 Autosegmental representations......Page 114
3.3 Dependency relations between elements......Page 119
3.4 Elements and sound patterns......Page 121
3.5 The neutral element......Page 122
3.6 English vowel systems......Page 127
4.1 'Place'......Page 132
4.2 Lenition: doing things to a t......Page 133
4.3 'Manner'......Page 136
3.5 Melodic geometry......Page 141
3.6 Laryngeal elements......Page 147
3.8 Appendix: specification of elements......Page 152
Exercises......Page 155
4.1 Introduction......Page 162
2.2 Constituent parameters......Page 163
2.3 The prosodic hierarchy......Page 165
2.4 Projection......Page 166
3.1 Prosodic and autosegmental licensing......Page 168
3.2 Constituent and projection licensing......Page 170
3.3 Inter-constituent licensing......Page 171
3.4 Final consonants revisited......Page 174
3.5 Deriving binary branching......Page 177
3.6 Spreading and autosegmental licensing......Page 178
4.1 Government......Page 181
4.2 Complexity relations within onsets......Page 184
4.3 Complexity relations within nuclei......Page 186
4.4 The melodic content of codas......Page 188
4.5 Deriving sonority......Page 190
4.6 Complexity relations between nuclei......Page 191
4.5 Principles and parameters of phonological structure......Page 192
6.1 Domain-final empty nuclei......Page 193
6.2 Vowel syncope......Page 196
6.3 Resyllabification?......Page 198
6.4 Preserving prosodic structure......Page 201
6.5 Proper Government......Page 205
7.2 Four t-lenition systems......Page 208
7.3 Coda analyses......Page 212
7.4 Licensing analysis......Page 217
7.5 Licensing Inheritance......Page 219
7.6 Cyclic effects......Page 225
7.7 Preceding consonants......Page 231
7.8 Following consonants......Page 236
Exercises......Page 239
2.1 The most imperfect of consonants......Page 244
2.2 Four r-systems......Page 246
2.3 Intrusive r......Page 249
5.3 A linear analysis of smooth r......Page 251
4.1 R-Dropping......Page 253
4.2 R-Epenthesis......Page 257
4.3 Non-Rhoticity......Page 259
5.5 Floating r......Page 262
5.6 Historical interlude......Page 266
7.1 Rhotic systems......Page 268
7.2 Nuclear r......Page 271
7.3 Non-rhotic systems......Page 276
7.4 MERRY-MARY-MARRY......Page 277
7.5 Summary......Page 278
Exercises......Page 279
Epilogue......Page 283
Notes......Page 287
References......Page 312
Subject index......Page 324
Index of vowel word-classes......Page 331