Phonological variation and Optimality Theory: Evidence from word-initial vowel epenthesis in Vimeu Picard

2001 ◽  
Vol 13 (3) ◽  
pp. 253-303 ◽  
Author(s):  
Julie Auger
Keyword(s):  
Probabilistic Analysis ◽  
Optimality Theory ◽  
Striking Feature ◽  
Phonological Variation ◽  
Complex Interplay ◽  
Quantitative Evidence ◽  
Variable Pattern ◽  
Grammatical Competence ◽  
Vowel Epenthesis ◽  
Break Up

One striking feature of Vimeu Picard concerns the regular insertion of epenthetic vowels in order to break up consonant clusters and to syllabify word-initial and word-final consonants. This corpus-based study focuses on word-initial epenthesis. It provides quantitative evidence that vowel epenthesis applies categorically in some environments and variably in others. Probabilistic analysis demonstrates that the variable pattern is constrained by a complex interplay of linguistic factors. Following Labov (1972a, 1972b) and Antilla and Cho (1998), I interpret such intricate grammatical conditioning as evidence that this variation is a reflection of a grammatical competence that generates both categorical and variable outputs, and I propose an account within the framework of Optimality Theory. An analysis of individual patterns of epenthesis by members of the community reveals that, even though all speakers share the same basic community grammar, their use of epenthesis differs qualitatively as well as quantitatively. I show that individual grammars can be derived from the community grammar, and that Optimality Theory allows us to formalize the idea that individual grammars constitute more specific versions of community grammars.

Aspects of Stop Consonant Production by Pediatric Users of Cochlear Implants

2002 ◽  
Vol 33 (1) ◽  
pp. 38-51 ◽  
Author(s):  
Steven B. Chin
Keyword(s):  
Cochlear Implants ◽  
Optimality Theory ◽  
Stop Consonant ◽  
Oral Communication ◽  
Intervention Programs ◽  
Clinical Implications ◽  
Phonological Variation ◽  
Total Communication

Purpose: Data and analyses are reported for stop consonant production by 12 children who have used cochlear implants for at least 5 years, focusing on variation within and between individual phonological systems. Method: Participants were 6 oral communication users and 6 total communication users. Productions of single words were analyzed for stop inventories, phonotactic constraints, and morphophonemic alternations. Variation was further analyzed within optimality theory. Results: Children’s inventories differed from English mainly in having additional, non-English stops. Total communication users had fewer ambient stops and more nonambient ones than did oral communication users. Control over English allophonic and neutralization rules varied among children. Phonological variation could be accounted for by positing unique underlying representations and different constraint rankings within optimality theory. Clinical Implications: Atypical speech by children with cochlear implants involves both articulation and phonological organization. Although children vary considerably, characteristic patterns emerge. An understanding of these patterns is useful for identifying areas of difficulty and formulating intervention programs.

scholarly journals Vowel Epenthesis and Consonant Deletion in Japanese Loanwords from English

2014 ◽  
Vol 1 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Shinichi Shoji ◽  
Kazuko Shoji
Keyword(s):  
Optimality Theory ◽  
Native Japanese Speakers ◽  
Vowel Epenthesis ◽  
Perceptual Salience ◽  
Japanese Speakers ◽  
Constraint Ranking

<p>The current study examines Japanese loanwords from English in the framework of optimality theory (OT). The goal of this study is to investigate which vowels native Japanese-speaking borrowers epenthesize and when they delete consonants in modifying English source words. We aim to offer (i) a unified explanation with a single ranking of constraints for vowel epenthesis and (ii) a perceptual explanation for consonant deletion. Two experiments with native Japanese speakers were conducted to support the proposed analyses. The first experiment demonstrated that, when modifying illicit phonotactics in foreign words, native Japanese speakers select epenthetic vowels based on the constraint ranking of: Complex, CodaCond &gt;&gt; Max-IO  &gt;&gt; Palatal-Front, SyllableInventoryStructure (SIS), Ident-IO &gt;&gt; *Round, *Low &gt;&gt; *Front &gt;&gt; High &gt;&gt; Back &gt;&gt; Dep-IO. The second experiment revealed that Japanese loanwords can be subject to deletion of consonants rather than vowel epenthesis, due to the lack of perceptual salience; Japanese speakers delete consonants when they fail to perceive consonants in coda and clusters in source words, especially when the source words are aurally given.</p>

scholarly journals Sonority Sequencing Principle in Sabzevari Persian: A Constraint-Based Approach

2019 ◽  
Vol 5 (1) ◽  
pp. 434-465
Author(s):  
Mufleh Salem M. Alqahtani
Keyword(s):  
Optimality Theory ◽  
Syllable Structure ◽  
Consonant Clusters ◽  
Phonological Processes ◽  
Repair Strategy ◽  
Vowel Epenthesis ◽  
The Relationship ◽  
Northeast Iran

AbstractThis study sheds light on the relationship between the Sonority Sequencing Principle (SSP) and syllable structure in Sabzevari, a Persian vernacular spoken in the Sabzevar area of Northeast Iran. Optimality Theory (OT), as a constraint-based approach, is utilized to scrutinize sonority violation and its repair strategies. The results suggest that obedience to the SSP is mandatory in Sabzevari, as shown through the treatment of word-final clusters in Standard Persian words which violate the SSP. These consonant clusters are avoided in Sabzevari by two phonological processes: vowel epenthesis and metathesis. Vowel epenthesis is motivated by final consonant clusters of the forms /fricative+coronal nasal/, /plosive+bilabial nasal/, /fricative+bilabial nasal/, /plosive+rhotic/, /fricative+rhotic/, and /plosive+lateral/. Metathesis, as another repair strategy for sonority sequencing violations, occurs when dealing with final consonant clusters of the forms /plosive+fricative/and / fricative+lateral/.

scholarly journals Morphologische Varianz in der Sprache Friedrich Schillers

2003 ◽  
Vol 16 (4) ◽  
Author(s):  
Rosemarie Lühr
Keyword(s):  
Optimality Theory ◽  
Friedrich Schiller ◽  
Conceptual Basis ◽  
Grammatical Competence ◽  
Morphological Variants

The Dictionary of the Complete Vocabulary used by Friedrich Schiller, which is currently being compiled in Jena, displays morphological variants for numerous entries. The declension of foreign expressions in particular exhibit variation and thereby a kind of implicit uncertainty concerning which regularities apply. For instance, three different plural forms of the substantive Zar occur almost next to one another: Czaren, Czars und Czare. Today the speaker would decide on at least one of the variants, but Schiller's fluctuating use of language occurs within the bounds of a single speaker's grammatical competence. It is demonstrated how the influence of dialects, foreign pronounciation and the intended integration of these forms in the High German declension paradigm interact. It becomes obvious that Schiller was "experimenting" with the inflection of foreign terms. The conceptual basis of Optimality Theory makes it especially suitable for the explanation of such idiolect variance. It has the advantage over other theories that a number of competing grammatical systems need not be postulated.

Phonological Variation and Change in Brazilian Portuguese

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Elisa Battisti
Keyword(s):  
South America ◽  
Language Contact ◽  
Native Language ◽  
Empirical Studies ◽  
Brazilian Portuguese ◽  
Phonological Variation ◽  
Phonological Processes ◽  
Regional Dialects ◽  
European Portuguese ◽  
Break Up

Brazilian Portuguese is the native language of more than 200 million people living in Brazil. Spoken in South America since around the year 1500, Brazilian Portuguese has peculiar phonological traits, many of them variable. The extensive language contact that has taken place in Brazil caused Brazilian Portuguese to break up into regional dialects. Various phonological processes affect Brazilian Portuguese at the segmental and suprasegmental levels. Some of the processes target consonants, such as the regressive palatalization of /t, d/, the fricatization of /r/ in syllabic onset; some processes target vowels, such as the raising and lowering of unstressed /e, o/ vowels; others target the intonation of utterances, such as the rising of the nuclear stress of yes–no questions. The results of several empirical studies on varieties of Brazilian Portuguese show that not all of the processes correspond to change in progress in Brazilian Portuguese; some of them are stable variables. They also show that not every variable is present in all dialects and that some variables are socially salient and stigmatized. Compared to present European Portuguese, the phonology of Brazilian Portuguese seems to be conservative in some aspects, such as in the raising of vowels in unstressed, word-final syllables; innovative in others, such as in the vocalization of /l/ in syllabic coda.

Variation in Phonology

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Arto Anttila
Keyword(s):  
Optimality Theory ◽  
Vowel Harmony ◽  
Phonological Variation ◽  
Multiple Forms ◽  
Single Word ◽  
Computational Tools ◽  
Technological Infrastructure ◽  
Ambient Data ◽  
The Individual ◽  
Stochastic Optimality

Language is a system that maps meanings to forms, but the mapping is not always one-to-one. Variation means that one meaning corresponds to multiple forms, for example faster ~ more fast. The choice is not uniquely determined by the rules of the language, but is made by the individual at the time of performance (speaking, writing). Such choices abound in human language. They are usually not just a matter of free will, but involve preferences that depend on the context, including the phonological context. Phonological variation is a situation where the choice among expressions is phonologically conditioned, sometimes statistically, sometimes categorically. In this overview, we take a look at three studies of variable vowel harmony in three languages (Finnish, Hungarian, and Tommo So) formulated in three frameworks (Partial Order Optimality Theory, Stochastic Optimality Theory, and Maximum Entropy Grammar). For example, both Finnish and Hungarian have Backness Harmony: vowels must be all [+back] or all [−back] within a single word, with the exception of neutral vowels that are compatible with either. Surprisingly, some stems allow both [+back] and [−back] suffixes in free variation, for example, analyysi-na ~ analyysi-nä ‘analysis-ess’ (Finnish) and arzén-nak ~ arzén-nek ‘arsenic-dat’ (Hungarian). Several questions arise. Is the variation random or in some way systematic? Where is the variation possible? Is it limited to specific lexical items? Is the choice predictable to some extent? Are the observed statistical patterns dictated by universal constraints or learned from the ambient data? The analyses illustrate the usefulness of recent advances in the technological infrastructure of linguistics, in particular the constantly improving computational tools.

scholarly journals A Contrastive Study on Noun Diminutive Formation in Tafili Spoken Arabic and Jijilian Spoken Arabic

2021 ◽  
Vol 1 (1) ◽  
pp. p51
Author(s):  
Mahmoud Qudah ◽  
Isra’a Isam Al-Hanaktah ◽  
Bashar Mohammad Al-Kaseasbeh
Keyword(s):  
Optimality Theory ◽  
Jordanian Arabic ◽  
Phonological Processes ◽  
Contrastive Study ◽  
Vowel Epenthesis ◽  
Glottal Stop ◽  
Spoken Arabic

The present study aims at contrasting the patterns governing noun diminutive formation between Tafili Spoken Arabic (TSA), a dialect in Jordanian Arabic (JA), and Jijilian Spoken Arabic (JSA), a dialect in Algerian Arabic, and then accounting for that within the framework of Optimality Theory (OT). Throughout the analysis of the collected data, it is found that the diminutive forms in both dialects are based on a change in the phonological processes of a word by insertion, deletion or changing of some phonological segments. However, the present study has disclosed that noun diminutive forms in TSA result from the application of the following phonological processes: vowel epenthesis, vowel shortening, glide insertion, vowel syncope, and the insertion of the glottal stop at the beginning of words. Whereas noun diminutive forms in JSA result from the application of the following phonological processes: vowel syncope, vowel epenthesis, vowel shortening, glide insertion, degemination and metathesis. The application of OT to account for those phonological processes indicates that they happen from a continual conflict between some markedness constraints and faithfulness constraints. The researchers recommend for another study to be applied investigating and contrasting the patterns governing noun diminutive formation between other two dialects by accounting for that within the framework of OT.

Vowel Epenthesis in Arabic Loanwords in Hausa

2015 ◽  
Vol 7 (2) ◽  
pp. 62
Author(s):  
MUFLEH ALQAHTANI ◽  
Rebecca Musa
Keyword(s):  
Optimality Theory ◽  
Analytical Framework ◽  
Consonant Clusters ◽  
Phonological Process ◽  
Extant Literature ◽  
Vowel Epenthesis

<p>Vowel epenthesis is discussed in this paper as a phonological process utilized to avoid codas in Arabic loanwords in Hausa language in light of Optimality Theory (OT), as an analytical framework, even though this language permits codas in heavy syllables of the form CVC  (Caron, 2011). This process results in having disyllabic, trisyllabic, or qadri-syllabic words (words with four syllables) depending on the forms of Arabic loanwords as well as  mono-syllabic words with final bi-consonant clusters. This study primarily relies on extant literature including theses, books, articles. Furthermore, the authors’ intuition is crucially deemed the judge on the facts of the data . This paper concludes that codas in Arabic loanwords in Hausa motivate vowel epenthesis either once or twice, depending on the forms of words; i.e. disyllabic or monosyllabic. Also, the number of vowel insertion depends on the number of consonants in the coda postion, i.e. /CVCC/→ vowel epenthesis→ [CVC.C<strong><span style="text-decoration: underline;">V</span></strong>] or [CV.C<strong><span style="text-decoration: underline;">V</span></strong>.C<strong><span style="text-decoration: underline;">V</span></strong>].</p>

scholarly journals An Optimality Theory-Based Approach into the Phonotactic Constraints of English Spoken by Broadcasters in Nigeria

2021 ◽  
Vol 1 (1) ◽  
pp. 37-43
Author(s):  
Abdulmalik Usman ◽  
Aisha Abubakar
Keyword(s):  
Optimality Theory ◽  
Electronic Media ◽  
Production Test ◽  
Consonant Clusters ◽  
Break Up ◽  
Received Pronunciation ◽  
Means Of Production

<p style="text-align: justify;">One of the observations in the English spoken particularly in Nigeria is phonotactic constraints. The constraints pin down the generalization which guide the articulation of sequences of phonemes. The paper examines the patterns of English consonant clusters articulation of Nigerian broadcasters in the onset and coda positions against Received Pronunciation English. The study is conducted within the framework of Optimality Theory (henceforth OT). 20 radio and television broadcasters from 4 electronic media were selected as participants. Data were obtained by means of production test and OT was employed for the analysis. The findings revealed that the participants used epenthetic vowels to break-up consonants clusters in the onset and consonant deletion to simplify clusters in the coda. The subjects’ productions can be captured by ranking Markedness constraints higher than Faithfulness constraints.</p>

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document