7.507, Qs: Language Acquisition, Italian phonology, English

[The Linguist List]

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LINGUIST List:  Vol-7-507. Fri Apr 5 1996. ISSN: 1068-4875. Lines:  146
 
Subject: 7.507, Qs: Language Acquisition, Italian phonology, English
 
Moderators: Anthony Rodrigues Aristar: Texas A&M U. <aristar at tam2000.tamu.edu>
            Helen Dry: Eastern Michigan U. <hdry at emunix.emich.edu> (On Leave)
            T. Daniel Seely: Eastern Michigan U. <dseely at emunix.emich.edu>
 
Associate Editor:  Ljuba Veselinova <lveselin at emunix.emich.edu>
Assistant Editors: Ron Reck <rreck at emunix.emich.edu>
                   Ann Dizdar <dizdar at tam2000.tamu.edu>
                   Annemarie Valdez <avaldez at emunix.emich.edu>
 
Software development: John H. Remmers <remmers at emunix.emich.edu>
 
Editor for this issue: lveselin at emunix.emich.edu (Ljuba Veselinova)
 
We'd like to remind readers that the responses to queries are usually
best posted to the individual asking the question. That individual is
then  strongly encouraged to post a summary to the list.   This policy was
instituted to help control the huge volume of mail on LINGUIST; so we
would appreciate your cooperating with it whenever it seems appropriate.
 
---------------------------------Directory-----------------------------------
1)
Date:  Tue, 02 Apr 1996 14:06:50
From:  juan at udllanos.ba.ar (Juan Bernardo Llanos Lamarque)
Subject:  Seeking Language Acquisition resources
 
2)
Date:  Tue, 02 Apr 1996 12:00:22 PST
From:  keithc at sensoryc.com (Keith Carlson)
Subject:  Italian phonology
 
3)
Date:  Wed, 03 Apr 1996 19:59:06 +0100
From:  loperez at siur.unirioja.es (Lorena Perez)
Subject:  English
 
---------------------------------Messages------------------------------------
1)
Date:  Tue, 02 Apr 1996 14:06:50
From:  juan at udllanos.ba.ar (Juan Bernardo Llanos Lamarque)
Subject:  Seeking Language Acquisition resources
 
 
A friend of mine needs resources to prepare a doctoral thesis on
language acquisition, in particular on the following subjects:
 
        * bilingual language processing
        * bilingual cognitive functioning
 
I would appreciate any info (book titles and other sources) that you could
send me.
 
Thank you very much.
 
 
                           _\|/_
                           (o o)
            +-----------oOO-(_)-OOo-----------+
            |       Juan Bernardo Llanos      |
            |   Pte. J.E. Uriburu 1234 - 12A  |
            |       1114 - Buenos Aires       |
            |            ARGENTINA            |
            |                                 |
            |     Tel/Fax: (541) 826-4938     |
            |   E-mail: juan at udllanos.ba.ar   |
            +---------------------------------+
                          (_| |_)
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2)
Date:  Tue, 02 Apr 1996 12:00:22 PST
From:  keithc at sensoryc.com (Keith Carlson)
Subject:  Italian phonology
 
something has been puzzling me about italian phonology.  i m looking
specifically for a constraint-based approach to this problem, and
welcome any optimality-theoretic solutions.
 
the facts:
 
(1) vowels in stressed, open syllables are predictably long
word-internally, e.g.  'vi:.no 'wine'.
 
(2) vowels in stressed, open syllables are predictably short
word-finally (despite stress), e.g. par.le.'ro 'I will speak', cit.'ta
'city'.
 
(3) if a word-final vowel is stressed, then the onset of the following
syllable closes the preceding syllable, e.g. par.le.'ro[b] # be.ne 'I
will speak well' (gemination of [b]), cit.'ta # s.por.ca 'dirty city'
(resyllabification of [s]).  this is known as *radoppiamento
sintattico*.
 
analysis:
 
the predictable lengthening of vowels, as in (1), as well as the
gemination of [b] and the resyllabification of [s] in (3) point to the
satisfaction of the Weight to Stress Principle: the best stressed
syllables are heavy (bimoraic).
 
problem:
 
why can't vowels be heavy at the edge in order to satisfy the WSP, as
they are word-internally?  It is odd that moras that 'sprout'
(i.e. are not underlying) word-internally govern vowels, as in (1) ,
while those that sprout word-finally can only govern consonants, as in
(3), otherwise they do not sprout at all, as in (2).
 
will post any satisfying answers received.
thanks in advance.
j
RESPOND TO: james at sensoryc.com
 
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3)
Date:  Wed, 03 Apr 1996 19:59:06 +0100
From:  loperez at siur.unirioja.es (Lorena Perez)
Subject:  English
 
 
Dear Linguist members,
 
 
I'm currently doing some research on the cognition of requests and the
cognitive status of some well-known pragmatic principles. Not being a
native speaker myself, I am often haunted by doubts about my own
language intuitions. I wonder whether you could help me with the last
one.
 
 Could those of you who are native speakers of English order the
following sentences according to their degree of politeness from the
most to the least polite??? It would be most helpful!!
 
Can someone bring me my slippers?
Can't anyone bring me my slippers?
Can't someone bring me my slippers?
Can anyone bring me my slippers?
 
Thank you very much in advance,
 
Lorena Perez
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LINGUIST List: Vol-7-507.