Concreteness in General Phonology: Evidence from French by Bernard Tranel

Abstract

Reviewed by: Concreteness in General Phonology: Evidence from French by Bernard Tranel Amanda Dalola Tranel, Bernard. Concreteness in General Phonology: Evidence from French. UP of California, 2018. ISBN 978-0-52030-398-0. Pp. 338. Tranel's book challenges several widespread theories in French phonology and morphology from within the generative framework. Focusing on the status of nasal vowels, [Ø]~[C] alternations, the status of final schwas and the treatment of h-aspiréinitial words, this research argues methodically against a purely phonological analysis driven by economy and distant underlying and surface forms, in favor of one driven by psychological plausibility which takes into consideration relevant grammatical and lexical information. The text proceeds across three main sections—one focusing each on nasal vowels, final consonants, and protective schwa/h-aspiré words. Within each [End Page 189] section, a repeating structure propels the narrative forward: discussion first underlines the main issues in each phenomenon and summarizes the claims of previous treatments, before offering a critical review—always through the presentation of additional data which introduce complications to previous assumptions—and an alternative account able to reconcile all forms. It is in this way that we are presented with sizeable evidence to support the three groundbreaking ideas of the text: a) nasal vowels have not historically been phonologically derivable from/VN/sequences and should, therefore, be viewed as lexical in nature; b) the postulation of final schwas is unnecessary from a structural standpoint because they have no phonetic reflexes and are not naturally learnable; c) h-aspiré words are most elegantly analyzed by means of rule features, instead of the consideration of syllable boundaries or abstract lexical initial consonants. The text's comprehensive approach will appeal cross-generationally to armchair and lab phonologists alike, while the extensive example sets will delight Francophones, dictation enthusiasts, and everyone in between. The stand-alone nature of the three main parts makes the book easily digestible in chapters or as separate case studies, and the thorough treatment of previous theoretical accounts makes it optimal training ground for undergraduate and graduate students making their first foray into French phonology. Experienced linguists will also appreciate the author's appeal to plausibility based on psychological reality, a cutting-edge concept in theoretical phonology back in the early 1980s, but one that went on to become mainstream in the field in the 1990s and 2000s via the extension of Exemplar Theory. Poised to become/remain required reading for all those with interests in the French language's idiosyncratic and oftentimes complicated sound behavior, this edgy and timeless title more than retains its shine. Amanda Dalola University of South Carolina Copyright © 2020 American Association of Teachers of French