Against featural alignment
Morphemes are sometimes expressed by elements that are less than full segments, and, in a given language, the position of these elements in a word may vary. A recent analysis of these ‘mobile morphemes’ claims that their distribution is best explained in an optimality-theoretic framework that incorp...
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Online Access: | http://dx.doi.org/10.1017/s0022226799008129 https://www.cambridge.org/core/services/aop-cambridge-core/content/view/S0022226799008129 |
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crcambridgeupr:10.1017/s0022226799008129 2024-04-07T07:55:44+00:00 Against featural alignment PIGGOTT, GLYNE L. 2000 http://dx.doi.org/10.1017/s0022226799008129 https://www.cambridge.org/core/services/aop-cambridge-core/content/view/S0022226799008129 en eng Cambridge University Press (CUP) https://www.cambridge.org/core/terms Journal of Linguistics volume 36, issue 1, page 85-129 ISSN 0022-2267 1469-7742 Linguistics and Language Philosophy Language and Linguistics journal-article 2000 crcambridgeupr https://doi.org/10.1017/s0022226799008129 2024-03-08T00:36:17Z Morphemes are sometimes expressed by elements that are less than full segments, and, in a given language, the position of these elements in a word may vary. A recent analysis of these ‘mobile morphemes’ claims that their distribution is best explained in an optimality-theoretic framework that incorporates a set of featural alignment constraints (Akinlabi 1996). This paper argues that featural alignment plays no role in the realization of ‘mobile morphemes’. Instead, it recognizes a set of licensing constraints that explicitly identifies where featural exponents of such morphemes may appear in a word. Crucially, these licensing constraints, unlike featural alignment, are not morpheme-specific and therefore enjoy cross-linguistic support. Analyses of Chaha labialization, Terena nasalization, High tone realization in the Edoid associative construction and Southern Sami vowel lowering in terms of licensing are shown to be superior to the alignment-theoretic ones on both descriptive and explanatory grounds. Article in Journal/Newspaper sami Cambridge University Press Journal of Linguistics 36 1 85 129 |
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Cambridge University Press |
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English |
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Linguistics and Language Philosophy Language and Linguistics |
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Linguistics and Language Philosophy Language and Linguistics PIGGOTT, GLYNE L. Against featural alignment |
topic_facet |
Linguistics and Language Philosophy Language and Linguistics |
description |
Morphemes are sometimes expressed by elements that are less than full segments, and, in a given language, the position of these elements in a word may vary. A recent analysis of these ‘mobile morphemes’ claims that their distribution is best explained in an optimality-theoretic framework that incorporates a set of featural alignment constraints (Akinlabi 1996). This paper argues that featural alignment plays no role in the realization of ‘mobile morphemes’. Instead, it recognizes a set of licensing constraints that explicitly identifies where featural exponents of such morphemes may appear in a word. Crucially, these licensing constraints, unlike featural alignment, are not morpheme-specific and therefore enjoy cross-linguistic support. Analyses of Chaha labialization, Terena nasalization, High tone realization in the Edoid associative construction and Southern Sami vowel lowering in terms of licensing are shown to be superior to the alignment-theoretic ones on both descriptive and explanatory grounds. |
format |
Article in Journal/Newspaper |
author |
PIGGOTT, GLYNE L. |
author_facet |
PIGGOTT, GLYNE L. |
author_sort |
PIGGOTT, GLYNE L. |
title |
Against featural alignment |
title_short |
Against featural alignment |
title_full |
Against featural alignment |
title_fullStr |
Against featural alignment |
title_full_unstemmed |
Against featural alignment |
title_sort |
against featural alignment |
publisher |
Cambridge University Press (CUP) |
publishDate |
2000 |
url |
http://dx.doi.org/10.1017/s0022226799008129 https://www.cambridge.org/core/services/aop-cambridge-core/content/view/S0022226799008129 |
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sami |
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sami |
op_source |
Journal of Linguistics volume 36, issue 1, page 85-129 ISSN 0022-2267 1469-7742 |
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https://www.cambridge.org/core/terms |
op_doi |
https://doi.org/10.1017/s0022226799008129 |
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Journal of Linguistics |
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36 |
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1 |
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85 |
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129 |
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1795673098157031424 |