TOPICS IN SYLLABLE GEOMETRY (PHONOLOGY). Item Type text; Dissertation-Reproduction (electronic) Authors DAVIS, STUART MICHAEL. Publisher The University of Arizona. Rights Copyright © is held by the author. Digital access to this material is made possible by the University Libraries, University of Arizona. Further transmission, reproduction or presentation (such as public display or performance) of protected items is prohibited except with permission of the author. Download date 25/09/2021 20:42:20 Link to Item http://hdl.handle.net/10150/187997 INFORMATiON TO USERS This reproduction was made from a copy of a document sent to us for microfilming. While the most advanced technology has been used to photograph and reproduce this document, the quality of the reproduction is heavily dependent upon the quality of the material submitted. The following explanation of techniques is provided to help clarify markings or notations which may appear on this reproduction. 1. 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Zeeb Road, Ann Arbor, MI48106 Copyright 1985 by Davis, Stuart Michael All Rights Reserved TOPICS IN SYLLABLE GEOMETRY by Stuart Michael Davis A Dissertation Submitted to the Faculty of the DEPARTMENT OF LINGUISTICS In Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements For the Degree of DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY In the Graduate College THE UNIVERSITY OF ARIZONA 1 9 8 5 Copyright 1985 Stuart Michael Davis THE UNIVERSITY OF ARIZONA GRADUATE COLLEGE As members of the Final Examination Committee, we certify that \~e have read the dissertation prepared by __~S~tu~a~r~_t~D~a~v~i~s~ _____________________________ entitled ____T~o~p~ic~s __ i_n~S~y~l~l~a~b~l~e~G~e~o~m~e~t~rLy ___________________________________ and recommend that it be accepted as fulfilling the dissertation requirement (6~ 19y;'{ Date I ) e--£-l/~'~ (t.Jj,&.::~_t?~_ /.0 ()c.t~- 198'S/" Date y ~Cr@n~ II) JL<Nc..R. JrcPs- Date Date Date Final approval and acceptance of this dissertation is contingent upon the candidate's submission of the final copy of the dissertation to the Graduate College. I hereby certify that I have read this dissertation prepared under my direction and recommend that it be accepted as fulfilling the dissertation requirement. (2wa.~ Dissertation Director STATEMENT BY AUTHOR This dissertation has been submitted in partial fulfillment of requirements for an advanced degree at The University of Arizona and is deposited in the University Library to be made available to borrowers under rules of the Library. Brief quotations from this dissertation are allowable without special permission, provided that accurate acknowledgment of source is made. Requests for permission for extended quotation from or reproduction of this manuscript in whole or in part may be granted by the copyright holder. DEDICATION To my parents and brothers. iii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I would like to thank several people for making the completion of this dissertation possible. I thank the three members of my committee, Dick Demers, Dick Oehrle, and Deirdre Wheeler, as well as Richard Janda for their valuable comments. Much of the dissertation was shaped through discussion with them. I would also like to thank Susan Steele and Ann Farmer for their input on earlier versions of Chapter two. Furthermore, I offer thanks to several graduate students for their assistance on various sections of this dissertation. In particular, I thank Gabriella Albanese, Sundong Hwang, Linda Manganaro, and Martha Schulte. Finally, I wish to thank Natsuko Tsujimura for her moral support and for painstakingly typing this dissertation. iv TABLE OF CONTENTS Page ABSTRACT . ~ . vii CHAPTER 1. OVERVIEW . 1 1. o. Introduction . • . • . • •. .. 1 1.1. Brief Background of the Syllable in Phonological Theory • • • • . • • . 1 1.2. Background on Syllable-Internal Constituency .•.•.••.••••. 8 2. ON THE ARGUMENTS FOR THE RHYME AS A SUBSYLLABIC CONSTITUENT . • • • 17 2.0. Introduction • • • . • • 17 2.1. Phonotactics • • • • 19 2.1.0. Introduction ••••••. 19 2.1.1. Constraints between Onset and Other Syllable Parts for English • • • • • • . • • • . 23 2.1.2. Constraints between Onset and Nucleus for Other Languages . 27 2.1.3. Constraints between Onset and Coda for Other Languages • . 29 2.1.4. Conclusion .•..•. 30 2.2. Rule Types Referring to the Rhyme • 31 2.2.1. Stress Rules ••••••• 32 2.2.2. Phonetic-Spreading Rules ... 46 2.2.3. Compensatory Lengthening Rules . 48 2.2.4. Conclusion ••••••...• 55 2.3. The Rhyme as a Durational Unit • • • . 56 2.3.1. Background on Durational Experiments of VC-Sequences 58 2.3.2. English ••••.••••• 64 2.3.3. Korean •••.•••••.•. 68 2.3.4. French and Russian .••• 70 2.3.5. Other Languages ••.••• 72 2. 3 . 6. Summary. • • . 74 2.4. Conclusion . • • . • •• ••• 75 v vi TABLE OF CONTENTS--Continued Page 3. SYLLABLE STRUCTURE AND STRESS RULES FROM DIFFERENT LANGUAGES · · · · · · · · · 79 3.0. Introduction 79 3.1. Standard Stress· ·Systems · · · · · · · · 82 3.1.0. Introduction · · · · · · · · 82 3.1.1. Same Syllable Stress · · · · · · 83 3.1.2. Long Vowel Stress · · · · · 85 3.1.3. Closed Syllable Stress · · · 87 3.1.4. Heavy Syllable Stress · · · 89 3.2. Onset-Sensitive Stress Languages · · 97 3.2.0. Introduction · · · · · · · · 97 3.2.1. Western Aranda · · · · · · · 97 3.2.2. Alyawarra · · · 107 3.2.3. Madimadi · · · · · · 116 3.2.4. Piraha · · · · · · · 127 3.3. Conclusion . · · · · 132 4. "MOVEMENT" PHENOMENA AS EVIDENCE FOR SYLLABLE-INTERNAL CONSTITUENCY · · · · · · 138 4.0. Introduction 138 4.1. Speech Errors · · · · · · · · 139 4.1.0. Introduction· · · · · · · · · · · 139 4.1.1. Some Problems ·With · the· Use· · of· · · Speech Errors as Evidence 143 4.1.2. Speech Error Evidence and the· · · Rhyme 146 4.1.3. Speech Error· · · Evidence· · · · · and· · · · · Subsyllabic Constituency · · · · 151 4.1.4. Conclusion · 161 4.2. Language Games • · · · · · · 162 4.2.0. Introduction· · · · · · 162 4.2.1. Typology of Language· · · · Games· · · · · · 163 4.2.1.1. Expansion · 163 4.2.1.2. Contraction · · · · · · 167 4.2.1.3. Substitution · · · 168 4.2.1.4. Rearrangement · 169 4.2.1.5. Combinations 173 4.2.2. Language Games and Subsyllabic· · · Constituency · · · · 176 4.3. Conclusion . · · · · · · · · · · · · · · 184 LIST OF REFERENCES . · · · · · · · · · 185 ABSTRACT A central topic of recent research in phonolo­ gical theory has been the syllable and the question of its internal structure. A common view that emerges from this work is that the syllable consists of two major constituents, the onset and the rhyme. A careful scrutiny of the major arguments for the rhyme, however, reveals that the class of phonological generalizations (rule-types) that are only supposed to make reference to elements within the rhyme make reference to other elements as well. To cite one example, some stress rules are required to make reference to onsets. Moreover, there is other evidence in addition to that from stress rules. Phonotactic constraints can hold across segments in the onset and segments within the constituents of the rhyme. Thus, arguments which have been cited to support the rhyme actually do not support it when additional evidence is taken into consideration. In addition, I demonstrate that analyses of stress rules sensitive to the rhyme and formulated in the metrical framework are also compatible with a rhymeless syllable containing an onset, a nucleus, and a coda. In fact, when onset-sensitive stress rules are considered vii viii (and these have not really been considered in the literature until now) it is the latter type of syllable that is best able to handle such stress rules. Finally, external evidence that bears on the nature of syllable structure, such as the "movement" phenomena involved in speech errors and language games, provides indirect support for a syllable that consists of onset, nucleus, and coda, and not a structure con­ taining an onset and a rhyme. I conclude that the syllable structure with the highest degree of descrip­ tive and explanatory adequacy is one that only consists of an onset, a nucleus, and a coda. CHAPTER 1 OVERVIEW 1.0. Introduction The goal of this chapter is to furnish back- ground information on the role of the syllable in recent phonological theory, and, then, to put my thesis in proper perspective by presenting various views on the nature of syllable-internal constituency.