16.294, Diss: Phonology/Psycholing: Sumner: 'Testing...'

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LINGUIST List: Vol-16-294. Mon Jan 31 2005. ISSN: 1068 - 4875.

Subject: 16.294, Diss: Phonology/Psycholing: Sumner: 'Testing...'

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1)
Date: 31-Jan-2005
From: Meghan Sumner < meghan.sumner at gmx.net >
Subject: Testing the Abstractness of Phonological Representations in Modern Hebrew Weak Verbs

	
-------------------------Message 1 ----------------------------------
Date: Mon, 31 Jan 2005 13:24:27
From: Meghan Sumner < meghan.sumner at gmx.net >
Subject: Testing the Abstractness of Phonological Representations in Modern Hebrew Weak Verbs



Institution: State University of New York at Stony Brook
Program: Department of Linguistics
Dissertation Status: Completed
Degree Date: 2003

Author: Meghan Sumner

Dissertation Title: Testing the Abstractness of Phonological Representations in
Modern Hebrew Weak Verbs

Dissertation URL:  http://www.msumner.com/PDF/sumner_thesis_2003.pdf

Linguistic Field(s): Phonology
                     Psycholinguistics

Subject Language(s): Hebrew (HBR)


Dissertation Director(s):
Christina Bethin
Ellen Broselow
Robert Hoberman
Arthur Samuel

Dissertation Abstract:

This dissertation argues for priming as a tool to test the reality of
phonological analyses.  I examine alternations in two types of weak verbs
(verbs that surface without one of their traditional root consonants) in
Modern Hebrew.  In the cases examined here, consonant loss is
phonologically motivated.  I show that current analytical standards allow
(at least) three psychologically plausible analyses.  Each analysis, while
having a goal of accurately modeling the phonological component of grammar,
makes vastly different predictions about the nature of this grammar.

These predictions are tested in a psycholinguistic priming experiment.  The
experiment is designed to provide us with direct evidence about the nature
of the phonological representations for these weak verbs.  The two types of
weak verbs are compared to regular verbs, and two subject groups (older and
younger adults) are included to control for language change issues in
Modern Hebrew.

The results support a view that younger adult speakers have reanalyzed both
types of weak verbs as vowel-final stems, consistent with an analysis
arguing for concrete representations.  For older adults, the results
support an analysis proposing concrete representations for one type of weak
verb, and abstract representations for the other.  The ability of older
adults to form abstract representations is attributed to a higher exposure
to the transparent alternation than younger adults received, as this
alternation has been documented to decrease over time.  The results are
extended to the nominal paradigm of Modern Hebrew and I argue that we have
no evidence of abstract representations for a class of segolate nouns that
are traditionally analyzed as being opaque.  Therefore, opacity in Modern
Hebrew should not be used as motivation for modifications to Optimality
Theory.  Additional implications for Modern Hebrew phonology are discussed.

For phonology in general, we now have an outlet with which we can test
predictions made by competing theories.  Additionally, the questions of how
speakers identify surface variants as related and what types and amounts of
evidence are required to motivate this abstract relationship are raised.
This research also has implications for opacity in general, casting doubt
on the assumption that speakers really do acquire opaque generalizations.




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LINGUIST List: Vol-16-294