24.965, Diss: Phonology/ Breton/ Welsh: Losad: 'Representation and Variation in Substance-free Phonology...'

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LINGUIST List: Vol-24-965. Sat Feb 23 2013. ISSN: 1069 - 4875.

Subject: 24.965, Diss: Phonology/ Breton/ Welsh: Losad: 'Representation and Variation in Substance-free Phonology...'

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Date: Sat, 23 Feb 2013 19:53:17
From: Pavel Iosad [p.iosad at ulster.ac.uk]
Subject: Representation and Variation in Substance-free Phonology: A case study in Celtic

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Institution: University of Tromsø 
Program: Center for Advanced Study in Theoretical Linguistics 
Dissertation Status: Completed 
Degree Date: 2012 

Author: Pavel Losad

Dissertation Title: Representation and Variation in Substance-free Phonology: A 
case study in Celtic 

Dissertation URL:  http://hdl.handle.net/10037/4794

Linguistic Field(s): Phonology

Subject Language(s): Breton (bre)
                     Welsh (cym)


Dissertation Director(s):
Bruce Morén-Duolljá

Dissertation Abstract:

This thesis presents a comprehensive analysis of the phonological 
patterns of two varieties of Brythonic Celtic in the framework of 
substance-free phonology. I argue that cross-linguistic variation in 
sound patterns does not derive solely from differences in grammars 
(implemented as Optimality Theoretic constraint rankings). Instead, I 
adopt the substance-free framework, based on the principle of 
modularity and autonomy of the phonological component, to account 
for cross-linguistic phonological and phonetic variation. Phonological 
representations in substance-free phonology are built up without 
regard to the physical implementation of phonological units, on the 
basis of the system of contrasts and patterns of alternation. Although 
this insight is not new when couched in terms of a language-specific 
assignment of a set of universal phonological features, I argue that the 
mapping between phonology and phonetics is also not universal and 
deterministic, and reject the universality of the feature set. Instead, I 
argue for a rich interface between phonology and phonetics.


Based on this understanding of the nature of variation, I provide a 
holistic analysis of the sound systems of two closely related languages: 
Pembrokeshire Welsh and Bothoa Breton. I propose an account in 
terms of a rich representational theory. Among other proposals, I 
defend the need for surface ternary contrasts, which I propose to 
implement using feature geometry. I also show that the substance-free 
approach, which decouples phonological representation from phonetic 
realization, strikes the correct balance between innatist and 
emergentist approaches to phonological markedness; I demonstrate 
this by way of an extensive case study of laryngeal phonology, which 
leads to a reinterpetation of the approach known as 'laryngeal realism'. 
I also argue that the phonological component of grammar should allow 
constraints with prima facie undesirable factorial consequences, if such 
constraints are needed to account for functionally unmotivated sound 
patterns, and discuss the consequences of this approach for the 
substance-free nature of phonological computation.






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