| ROA: | 45 |
|---|---|
| Title: | The Stress Window in Piraha: A Reanalysis of Rhythm in Optimality Theory |
| Authors: | Thomas Green |
| Comment: | |
| Length: | 26 |
| Abstract: | The Stress Window in Piraha: A Reanalysis of Rhythm in Optimality Theory ROA-45 piraha.ps Thomas Green tmgreen@mit.edu MIT, January 1995 In this paper we provide an analysis of the location of main stress in Piraha, from the perspective of Optimality Theory (OT) (Prince and Smolensky 1993, McCarthy and Prince 1993a,b). The three-syllable window for possible stress placement, coupled with quantity- sensitivity and default finality have to our knowledge defied convincing explanation within current phonological theory. We will show that, given a recent suggestion for explaining ternary metrical parsing in OT (the PARSE-2 constraint of Kager 1994), the solution is rather straightforward, although it implies the existence in the phonology of metrical peaks that are not realized in the phonetic output. We then turn to take a closer look at the nature of the rather ad hoc PARSE-2 constraint. We will argue that PARSE-2 is in fact a subpart of a larger generalization, and that this new constraint, LAPSE, provides the basis for all boundedness in metrical structure. That is, binarity and ternarity are a unified phenomenon, expressed differently depending upon the rankings of other constraints such as PARSE. Moreover, the reanalysis of rhythm in terms of LAPSE invites the isolation of a new separate constraint, MIN-2, formerly part of the single constraint which yielded strictly binary constituents. Evidence from Passamaquoddy shows that this factoring is independently necessary, since only through this particular bifurcation can the theory accomodate the possibility of degenerate feet in otherwise strictly binary languages. :::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: |
| Type: | Paper/tech report |
| Area/Keywords: | |
| Article: | Version 1 |