Palatal sound change in the Romance languages: A unified account

This chapter provides a phonetically based formal account of the diachronic and synchronic sound changes discussed in previous chapters, following the phonetic characterization of palatal sounds and the book’s theoretical assumptions. Specifically, the speaker-listener interaction and the constraint-based model adopted in this book provide the tools to put forth a unified proposal that not only models how and why most of the discussed sound changes could emerge in the first place, but also reveals the mechanisms through which similar change events may reoccur time and again across Romance varieties.

Palatals in the history of the Romance languages

Tracking the origins of Romance palatals is central to fully understand how their current dialectal manifestations have come to be so varied. This chapter traces the documented diachronic pathways of palatals in the development of the Romance languages from their origins in Latin. In addition to unveiling their evolution, this chapter also reviews the insights of, and challenges posed by, previous accounts in the literature to explain the series of different phonetic changes that led to the emergence of the aforementioned sounds. Historically documented data as well as sound reconstructions that have been proposed based upon comparative evidence are presented. In light of much disagreement that exists with regard to particular sound reconstructions due to the lack of available historical data, this chapter presents sound reconstructions from the most plausible and phonetically grounded perspective and in agreement with similar change processes observed throughout the Romance-speaking world.

The phonetics of palatals

This chapter provides a detailed characterization of both articulatory and acoustic patterns of Romance palatals and their relevance to the goals of the book. While focusing on available data for sounds that are commonly found across the Romance-speaking world, this chapter also characterizes consonants whose emergence appear more restricted and/or for which articulatory and acoustic data do not abound in the Romance literature. Knowing the articulatory and acoustic characteristics of these sounds reveals itself as crucial to understanding the basic phonetic motivations for their diachronic pathways as well as their patterns of synchronic dialectal variation.

Theoretical considerations

This chapter provides the theoretical framework that informs the analyses in the book. It builds upon the assumptions and contributions of different—albeit complementary—theoretical approaches to sound change which are deemed appropriate to account for the evolution of Romance palatals, particularly the Ohalian listener-based model and the constraint-based model of phonetically based Optimality Theory. Specifically, it presents an approach that focuses on the origins of a sound change based upon the interaction among speakers and listeners during oral communication.

Introduction

This chapter introduces the reader to the palatal sounds under study, as well as their significance within the historical phonology and dialectology of the Romance languages. It summarizes the unique features of the book in terms of its scope, argument, and place within the literature, while highlighting its general goals and contribution to Diachronic and Historical Linguistics and Linguistic Theory more broadly. Finally, an overview of the organization of the book is provided.

Final remarks

This chapter summarizes the findings and arguments of the book and reiterates its valuable contribution to studies in Romance and Historical Linguistics. Moreover, it organizes and provides the reader with various venues for future research, particularly with regard to current issues in theoretical approaches to sound change and the collection of new dialectal data with which previous historical accounts may be revisited.

Palatals in the Romance languages today

This chapter provides a comprehensive and up-to-date review of the various manifestations of palatals throughout current Romance varieties, based upon data and maps available in the literature and upon new data, particularly on varieties of Argentine Spanish and Brazilian Portuguese. This dialectal overview is key to illustrate the continuous evolutionary thread of palatals in the history of the Romance languages. Specifically, this chapter demonstrates how recent and current variation and change patterns in many Romance varieties mirror those changes which are documented or reconstructed throughout the linguistic evolution of the Romance languages. An up-to-date dialectal snapshot, therefore, stands as one of the best means through which one can reconstruct changes that took place historically and for which precise spoken data is ever impossible to access.