Morpheme Structure Constraints Research Articles

Morpheme Structure Constraints Solve Three Puzzles for Theories of Blocking in Nonderived Environments

In nonderived environment blocking (NDEB), a phonological process applies across morpheme boundaries or morpheme-internally when fed by another phonological process but is otherwise blocked. I present a theory of NDEB that attributes blocking to an interaction between morpheme structure constraints (which constrain possible underlying representations in the lexicon) and the usual phonological mapping from underlying to surface forms. The theory has some unusual aspects that make it conceptually suspicious, but I will argue that it receives empirical support. Using several case studies, I discuss three puzzles for theories of NDEB previously proposed in the literature, including the Strict Cycle Condition (Mascarό 1976), Kiparsky’s (1993) theory of underspecification, Sequential Faithfulness (Burzio 2000), Colored Containment (Van Oostendorp 2007), and Optimal Interleaving with Candidate Chains (Wolf 2008). I show that none of those theories can deal with all three puzzles and that the proposed theory with morpheme structure constraints succeeds. This result supports a dual-component architecture of phonology (as in Chomsky and Halle 1968) over architectures that eliminate language-specific morpheme structure constraints (i.e., the principle of Richness of the Base in Optimality Theory).

Conditions on Iterative Rounding Harmony in Oroqen

AbstractIn this paper, we re‐examine the claim that Baiyinna Oroqen, a language of the Tungusic family with a largely predictable distribution of non‐high round vowels, requires a non‐iterative type of rounding harmony, by demonstrating instead the need for a clear distinction between stem‐internal morpheme structure constraints and suffixal vowel harmony. We also propose to revise what was thought to be a requirement that harmony donors must be anchored in two successive syllables; it is instead a restriction that copying of the harmonic feature must be from the closest non‐initial vowel.

Vowel harmony, directionality and morpheme structure constraints in Warlpiri

This paper examines theoretical analyses of vowel harmony in the light of data from Warlpiri, a language of Central Australia. Modern analyses account for vowel harmony in terms of a constraint requiring feature agreement within a particular domain (e.g. Backovic, 2000; Lombardi, 1996). These analyses predict that exclusively suffixing languages should exhibit only rightwards harmonies. They also predict that all disharmonic sequences within a particular domain should be equally disfavoured. Warlpiri is of interest for two reasons. Firstly it is an exclusively suffixing language, but it shows both leftwards and rightwards harmonies. Secondly, it permits one disharmonic sequence within the lexicon, but not its converse. We show that the leftwards harmony is not an exception to the predictions of modern analyses, as it is morphologically and not phonologically motivated. However, we show that agreement constraints cannot account for the evidently related harmony constraints on the structure of the lexicon in Warlpiri. Rather, these must be accounted for by constraints against specific disharmonic sequences. Under this ‘anti-disagreement’ analysis the structure of the lexicon follows from the grammar.

Morpheme structure constraints on two-handed signs in American Sign Language

In ASL, two-handed signs fall into three major sets. In one set the hands have different shapes and either only the dominant hand moves or the hands move as a unit. Battison’s Dominance Condition was intended to account for the fact that the non-dominant hand typically assumes an unmarked shape when it is stationary. However, we show that the non-dominant hand does this even when the hands move as a unit. In the second set the hands have the same shape and only the dominant hand moves. These signs are unrestricted for handshape. In the third set the hands have the same shape and both move. Battison’s Symmetry Condition was intended to account for restrictions on the parameters of these signs. We argue that four basic types of symmetry transformations occur, with various complications: reflection, rotation, translation, and glide reflection, all of which call for conditions specific to them, and lead to an overriding condition on movement in symmetry transformation signs. The conditions uncovered here might be morpheme structure constraints or, instead, simply follow from physiological limitations of hands in motion.

Kikuyu vowel harmony

This article studies the vocalic patterns of distribution and alternation in Kikuyu. The phenomenon of distribution manifests itself in morpheme structure constraints imposed on vowel sequencing within the verbal root, while the effect of alternation is seen within the verbal stem, which displays a productive root-controlled suffixal harmony. Despite some mismatch, the patterns of distribution correspond to patterns of alternation. The article argues for a unified analysis of these patterns based on the assumption that a morphemic [-atr] is assigned underlyingly to some roots. Under this representation, distribution and alternation patterns fall out from one process of [-atr] harmony. The article supports the analysis by showing that it accounts for the deviant properties of harmony such as the disharmonie sequences in Kikuyu.

Some Constraints on Medial Consonant Clusters

It can be argued that syllable shape is a function of the morpheme structure constraints in a given language-and that, in segments more than one syllable long, the composition of medial clusters is a reflection of those constraints as they apply to initial and final groups. Further, given a convention for syllable bracketing, it is possible to show a further characteristic of medial clusters: namely, that they ideally overlap, i.e. have simultaneous membership of both the preceding and following syllable segment. Examples will be chosen from the diachronic phonology of English to illustrate the last two characteristics of syllables and to further support the claim that the syllable is a phonological prime.

The Non-Anomalous Nature of Anomalous Utterances

An analysis of speech errors provides evidence for the psychological reality of theoretical linguistic concepts such as distinctive features, morpheme structure constraints, abstract underlying forms, phonological rules, and syntactic and semantic features. Furthermore, such errors reveal that linguistic performance is highly rule-governed, and that in many cases it is grammatical rules which constrain or monitor actual speech production. While a model of linguistic competence is independent of temporal constraints, a model of linguistic performance must provide information as to the sequencing of events in real time. To explain the occurrence of particular kinds of errors, a specific ordering of rules is posited, which ordering may or may not coincide with the organization of a grammar.

Some comments on the formulation of morpheme structure constraints in markedness theory1

Some comments on the formulation of morpheme structure constraints in markedness theory¹