Word-faithfulness and the direction of assimilations

Abstract

This paper proposes that differences in the direction of application of phonological rules can be attributed to the differences in the observed patterns of faithfulness at the WORD and ROOT-levels. Using data from English and Dutch I show that Progressive Voicing Assimilation is characteristically restricted to the inter-word environment (i.e. it occurs at the WORD-level) and is the consequence of WORD-faithfulness. I consider whether the same kind of faithfulness effect can account for assymetrical patterns observed with other phonological processes such as vowel harmony, vowel elision and nasal place assimilation