Abstract
One of the sound changes that characterize the Mercian dialect in Old English (OE) is Second Fronting (SF), whereby Mercian has e and ae where other dialects respectively have ae and a. The goal of this paper is to analyze the Mercian SF within the framework of Optimality Theory. This study is mainly concerned with two puzzling questions on SF: Why doesnt raising occur to all the forms belonging to the same paradigm? and why do some forms in the paradigm undergo fronting? In this study, it is proposed that these questions are chiefly related to the opacity shown by the forms with an unstressed (suffixal) back vowel and the opacity problem can be easily accounted for by introducing a locally conjoined constraint, LICbk&ID[lo]. It is also shown that the proposed analysis is more advantageous than the previous analyses on the explanatory ground.
Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callMore From: Korean Journal of English Language and Linguistics
Disclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
