Solving Russian Velars: Palatalization, the Lexicon, and Gradient Contrast Utilization
Palatalized velars in Russian are often considered exceptional because they are neither fully predictable, nor clearly unpredictable. They are an example of a common phonological relationship in which sounds have the potential to distinguish words but are only utilized in limited contexts and/or lexical items. These “intermediate phonological relationships” (Goldsmith) are problematic for traditional phonological theories which make a binary distinction between predictable sounds (allophones; dealt with in the grammar) and unpredictable sounds (phonemes; dealt with in the lexicon). To deal with intermediate phonological relationships in a principled way we must reconsider assumptions about the type and amount of information stored in the lexicon.