Mostly Predictable: Cyclicity and the Distribution of Schwa in Itelmen

• Main Author: Bobaljik, Jonathan David
• Format: Text
• Language: unknown
• Published: Department of Linguistics, California State University 1997
• Subjects: Itelmen
• Online Access: https://dx.doi.org/10.7282/t36m34wm; https://rucore.libraries.rutgers.edu/rutgers-lib/42014/

The Itelmen language shows many instances of regular schwa/zero alternations. Even though the language permits quite extensive consonant clusters, I argue in this paper that the alternating schwas (and perhaps all instances of schwa) are epenthetic; schwa is inserted to break up a disfavoured consonant cluster. The rule which inserts schwa must apply cyclically in the verbal system, but non-cyclically in the nominal system. Apparent examples of cyclic rule application are problematic for non-derivational, constraint-based approaches to phonology, such as many versions of Optimality Theory (OT). Thus, much recent work has been devoted to reanlayzing purported examples of cyclicity from an O.T. perspective. While it may be possible to devise an account of the Itelmen data in terms of parallel constraint evaluation, current O.T. approaches are insufficient; in particular, the best candidate for an explanation of the Noun/Verb differences (Base Identity) makes exactly the wrong predictions for Itelmen.