Abstract
AbstractThis chapter looks at the foundations of, and developments within, the phonological research programme known as ‘Government Phonology’ (GP). Government Phonology is an approach that incorporates a system of fixed principles in conjunction with language-specific parameters, which together operate on representations in terms of minimal computation. This approach, which falls in line with the approach of Government-Binding theory in syntax of the time, brings phonology in line with syntax to yield a unified cognitive approach and further captures why phonology is ‘not’ different from syntax. The chapter discusses the seminal works that underlie GP, and, in so doing, points out how GP diverges from earlier rule-based approaches, shifting the onus to fully enriched representations. This would include the crucial role that the melodic content or internal structure of phonological segments plays in terms of building the sound inventory of a language, and in concepts such as, sonority, and in the manner in which certain processes operate, such as vowel harmony.
Published Version
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