Description
TitleFeature classes
PublisherGLSA (Graduate Linguistic Student Association), Dept. of Linguistics, University of Massachusetts
Date Created1995
Extent36 p.
DescriptionThis paper and the next investigate the status of feature classes like Place and Laryngeal in featural phonology. In a departure from Feature Geometry, I argue that constraints mentioning such classes are gradiently violable in the sense given within Optimality Theory. The result is what I call partial class behavior: under compulsion of a constraint mentioning an entire feature class, only a proper subset of the relevant features spread, for reasons of markedness, locality or whatever. This idea leads to feature class generalizations that are not visible to Feature Geometry.
ROA-112 strengthens the evidence for a class Color (cf. Odden's 1991 [back]/[round]), arguing that the copatternings of [back] and [round] harmonies in Turkic and other languages represent instances of Color harmony, formerly unrecognized only because Color spreading is often gradiently violated, leading to partial class behavior. This paper also argues for an understanding of segment transparency as segment participation, following work of Smolensky and McCarthy.
ROA-113 focuses on nasal place assimilation and has two goals. The first is to demonstrate the robust existence of partial class behavior in nasal place assimilation, and so further motivate the ideas outlined above. The second is to better understand nasal place assimilation itself. This latter goal leads to proposals for the employment of a release feature in phonology (following Steriade) and for very general spreading constraints.
'Partial Class Behavior and Nasal Place Assimilation' by Jaye Padgett supersedes this article, 'Feature Classes' in some technical details, and the two papers should be read together.
NoteThe definitive version of this paper was published in Papers in Optimality Theory (1995)
NotePadgett, J. (1995). Feature classes. In J.N. Beckman, L.W. Dickey, & S. Urbanczyk (Eds.) Papers in optimality theory (pp. 385-420). Amherst, MA: GLSA (Graduate Linguistic Student Association), Dept. of Linguistics, University of Massachusetts.
GenreArticle, Refereed
LanguageEnglish
CollectionRutgers Optimality Archive
Organization NameRutgers, The State University of New Jersey
RightsCopyright for scholarly resources published in RUcore is retained by the copyright holder. By virtue of its appearance in this open access medium, you are free to use this resource, with proper attribution, in educational and other non-commercial settings. Other uses, such as reproduction or republication, may require the permission of the copyright holder.
Statistical Profile