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ROA:166
Title:The Emergence of the Faithful
Authors:Byung-Gun Lee
Comment:
Length:32
Abstract:Traditionally, phonological processes like compensatory

lengthening (CL), metathesis, and coalescence have been

regarded as diverse and dissimilar processes. In

Optimality Theory (Prince & Smolensky 1993), in

particular, in Correspondence Theory (McCarthy & Prince

1995), however, these processes, including some others,

far from each being idiosyncratic or random, can be

integrated into a single process, namely, they can be

governed by specific instantiations of a single general

ranking schema. Correspondence Theory thus provides a

unified framework to capture the generalization that

fundamentally a single ranking schema is at work for all

of those processes. Significantly, Rotuman "incomplete

phase" supplies compelling evidence that some of these

processes are dealt with by one and the same ranking,

which resolves into the general ranking schema.

Ultimately, it will be demonstrated that the afore-

mentioned processes are all the outcome of an endeavor

to conserve to the utmost extent possible the numerical

integrity of segments of a morpheme. This endeavor is

formally expressed in the form of the general ranking

schema, under which the faithfulness constraint MAXIO is

satisfied at the cost of other faithfulness constraint(s),

in the face of the irresistible satisfaction of crucially-

dominating markedness constraint(s). Moreover, it will be

shown that the phenomena of CL and those of tonal stability

which give rise to conserving the numerical integrity of

moras and tones respectively can also be incorporated into

practically the same general ranking schema.
Type:Paper/tech report
Area/Keywords:
Article:Version 1