C/V interactions in strict CV

Abstract

This paper presents a revised version of the ‘Strict CV’ framework (SCV), where the C’s and V’s of the CVCV chain behave as melodies which associate with pure timing slots, and may be linked to more than one slot. Their domains of propagation may overlap, which gives rise to “C/V interactions”. These interactions provide a simple and straightforward account of four important issues that both SCV and standard approaches to syllable structure fail to treat satisfactorily: consonantal and vocalic length, schwa /zero alternations, lax checked vowels, and unreleased consonants.