21.3146, Diss: Phonology: Martinez: 'Phonology: Variation and exceptionality...'

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Subject: 21.3146, Diss: Phonology: Martinez: 'Phonology: Variation and exceptionality...'

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1)
Date: 30-Jul-2010
From: Michal Temkin Martinez < michaltmartinez at boisestate.edu >
Subject: Sources of Non-Conformity in Phonology: Variation and exceptionality in Modern Hebrew spirantization
 

	
-------------------------Message 1 ---------------------------------- 
Date: Mon, 02 Aug 2010 15:03:03
From: Vladimir Mazhuga [VladimirMazhuga at gmail.com]
Subject: 12th International Congress of the History of Language Sciences

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-------------------------Message 1 ---------------------------------- 
Date: Mon, 02 Aug 2010 15:03:05
From: Michal Temkin Martinez [michaltmartinez at boisestate.edu]
Subject: Sources of Non-Conformity in Phonology: Variation and exceptionality in Modern Hebrew spirantization

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Contact Person: Dmitry Piotrovsky
Institution: University of Southern California 
Meeting Email: ICHoLS-XII.Saint-Petersburg at hotmail.com
Program: Department of Linguistics 

Dissertation Status: Completed 
Linguistic Field(s): History of Linguistics 

Degree Date: 2010 

Call Deadline: 01-May-2010 

Author: Michal Temkin Martinez

Meeting Description:

The 12th International Conference on the History of Language Sciences, 
(ICHoLS XII) will be held at the State University of Saint-Petersburg from 28 
August to 2 September 2011. 

The International Congress on the History of Language Sciences has taken 
place every three years since 1978. Previous venues have been Ottawa, Lille, 
Princeton, Trier, Galway, Washington, Oxford, Fontenay-St. Cloud (Paris), São 
Paolo-Campinas, Urbana-Champaign and Potsdam. 

Dissertation Title: Sources of Non-Conformity in Phonology: Variation and
exceptionality in Modern Hebrew spirantization 

2nd Call for Papers

New deadline: October 31, 2010

The 12th International Conference on the History of Language Sciences, 
(ICHoLS XII) will be held at the State University of Saint-Petersburg, from 29 
August to 1 September 2011. 

Organizing Committee:
Ludmila Verbitskaya, President (St. Petersburg State University), Vladimir 
Alpatov (Russian Academy of Sciences), Anders Ahlqvist (The University of 
Sydney), Alexander Asinovsky (St. Petersburg State University), Sylvain 
Auroux (Laboratoire d'Histoire des Théories Linguistiques), Sergey Bogdanov 
(St. Petersburg State University), Alexander Bondarko (Russian Academy of 
Sciences), Gerda Hassler (Universität Potsdam), Vadim Kasevich Vice-
President (St. Petersburg State University), Yuri Kleiner (St. Petersburg State 
University), Konrad Koerner (Zentrum für Allgemeine Sprachwissenschaft, 
Berlin), Sergey Krylov (Russian Academy of Sciences), Patrick Seriot 
(Université de Lausanne), Vladimir Mazhuga (Russian Academy of 
Sciences), Dmitry Piotrovsky, Secreatry (St. Petersburg State University) 

The International Congress on the History of Language Sciences has taken 
place every three years since 1978. Previous venues have been Ottawa, 
Lille, Princeton, Trier, Galway, Washington, Oxford, Fontenay-St. Cloud 
(Paris), São Paolo-Campinas, Urbana-Champaign and Potsdam. Papers 
relating to any aspect of the history of language sciences are welcome. 
Besides focusing on diverse topic areas ranging from antiquity to the 
contemporary history of linguistics and from individual case studies to 
methodological considerations, we would like to draw your attention to the 
relationships between history and the methods of present-day linguistics. 
Opportunity will also be given to present computer-aided projects. We 
particularly encourage young scholars to submit a paper proposal. 
Suggestions for thematic workshops are welcome. In this case the organizers 
are requested to contact the Organizing Committee by September 2010. 

Due to numerous requests of prospective participants', the deadline has been 
extended until October 2010. Abstracts can be submitted to http://ichols-xii.ru 
. Please use the option ''Registration & Submission''.
Abstracts should not exceed 350 words, plus the author's affiliation and 
address. 

Contact: 
Dr. Dmitry Piotrovsky
Secretary ICHoLS XII 
Department of General Linguistics
State University of St. Petersburg 
11 Universitetskaya nab.
199034 St. Petersburg
Russia
Fax: +7 812/328-9510
ichols-XII .saint-petersburg [at] hotmail.com 

An international panel of referees will select the papers to be presented at 
the conference. Notifications of acceptance will be sent out in December 
2010.

Important dates
Abstracts deadline 31 October 2010
Notifications of acceptance 31 December 2010
The Conference 29 August - 1 September 2011

Dissertation URL:  http://works.bepress.com/michal_martinez/2/

Linguistic Field(s): Phonology

Subject Language(s): Hebrew (heb)


Dissertation Director(s):
Rachel Walker
Louis Goldstein
Mario Saltarelli
Ania Lubowicz
Elsi Kaiser

Dissertation Abstract:

This dissertation investigates the integration of two sources of
non-conformity exceptionality and variation - in a single phonological
system. Exceptionality manifests itself as systematic non-conformity, and
variation as partial or variable non-conformity. When both occur within the
same phenomenon, this is particularly challenging for the linguistic
system. Modern Hebrew spirantization provides an apt case study for the
investigation of the interaction of these two sources of non-conformity
where exceptional (non-alternating) segments are frequent, and variation in
alternating segments has been reported (Adam, 2002). This dissertation
makes contributions in the forms of both data and analysis. Its goals are
to provide a description of exceptionality and variation in Modern Hebrew
spirantization and an analysis which incorporates alternation,
exceptionality and variation.

To collect data for the description of Modern Hebrew spirantization in
verbal paradigms, an experimental rating task was conducted. Its goal was
to examine speakers' acceptance of variation in both alternating and
exceptional segments in Modern Hebrew spirantization, where stops and
fricatives alternate, with the latter occurring in post-vocalic contexts
and the former occurring elsewhere. The results establish that variation is
at least somewhat acceptable in both alternating and exceptional segments,
and is significantly more acceptable in alternating segments than in
exceptional ones. Moreover, speakers showed a preference for the expected
forms of both types of segments (i.e. the non-alternating form in
exceptions, and post-vocalic fricatives or word-initial and
post-consonantal stops in alternating segments). Importantly, the results
also show that variation in both types of segments is gradient.

To account for alternation, exceptionality, and variation in relation to a
single phonological process, I propose a model combining the set-indexation
approach for exceptionality (Pater, 2000) with stochastic OT and the
Gradual Learning Algorithm for gradience in variation (Boersma, 1998;
Boersma & Hayes, 2001; Hayes & Londe, 2006; Hayes & MacEachern, 1998;
Zuraw, 2000). I call this the 'combined model'. I show that neither
approach is able to account for both sources of non-conformity on its own;
set-indexation allows only for categorical distinctions between alternation
and exceptionality, whereas ranking distributions in stochastic OT limit
the possible range of constraint interactions to account only for variation. 

Looking forward, implementing the acquisition of these patterns in current
models of the learning algorithms results in a paradox. In particular,
set-indexation and stochastic constraint rankings both presuppose that the
mechanism they do not account for is established by a different mechanism -
set-indexation is only implemented once variation and speech errors have
been ruled out as the cause for non-alternation, whereas in order to
provide the stochastic constraint rankings accounting for acceptability of
variation in all tokens, set-indexation must have already been implemented.
This study therefore opens new avenues for research directions involving
learning algorithms, which are open to future refinement in handling
patterns of non-conformity. 




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