27.1048, Diss: Basque, Estonian, Papiamento, Tarahumara, Phonology: Christopher E Spahr: 'Contrastive representations in non-segmental phonology'

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LINGUIST List: Vol-27-1048. Mon Feb 29 2016. ISSN: 1069 - 4875.

Subject: 27.1048, Diss: Basque, Estonian, Papiamento, Tarahumara, Phonology: Christopher E Spahr: 'Contrastive representations in non-segmental phonology'

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Date: Mon, 29 Feb 2016 11:48:02
From: Christopher Spahr [christopher.spahr at mail.utoronto.ca]
Subject: Contrastive representations in non-segmental phonology

 
Institution: University of Toronto 
Program: Department of Linguistics 
Dissertation Status: Completed 
Degree Date: 2016 

Author: Christopher E Spahr

Dissertation Title: Contrastive representations in non-segmental phonology 

Dissertation URL:  http://ling.auf.net/lingbuzz/002897

Linguistic Field(s): Phonology

Subject Language(s): Basque (eus)
                     Estonian (est)
                     Papiamento (pap)
                     Tarahumara, Central (tar)


Dissertation Director(s):
B. Elan Dresher
Daniel Currie Hall
Keren Rice
Peter Jurgec
Yoonjung Kang

Dissertation Abstract:

This thesis develops and tests a unified model of word-level prosodic
contrasts. Traditionally, word prosody has been analyzed within disparate
models (such as autosegmental theory for tone, metrical theory for stress, and
CV, X-slot, or moraic theory for length), meaning that it has not been
possible to make clear predictions about how many different prosodic features
can be employed in a single language.

I present a minimal architecture for word prosodic representations based on a
single set of formal elements. A tier of segmental root nodes, or X-slots,
bears the binary contrastive features that divide the segmental inventory and
represents quantity contrasts through two-to-one linking, while a tier of
prosodic root nodes, or ''pi-nodes'', bears the binary features dividing the
autosegmental inventory. Features on pi-nodes are used in tone languages with
more than one tonal autosegment, but in privative tone languages, the pi-node
itself reflects the phonetic realization of the marked member of the tone
opposition. The same featureless pi-node is used as an autosegmental marker of
accented positions in lexical stress systems, where its language-specific
phonetic realization is that of stress: some combination of increased pitch,
duration, and intensity.

The predictive power of this model is that it restricts systems to a maximum
of two independent word prosodic contrasts, since each requires its own tier
of root nodes. The pi-tier can represent either tone or accent separately from
length on the X-tier, but this leaves no means to represent a third contrast.
In certain systems, surface stress may be represented covertly as length on
the X-tier with tone represented on the pi-tier, but no mechanism is available
to host a third contrast, since the X-tier is already used for stress.




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