Laryngeal Relativism predicts Italian
PDF

Keywords

laryngeal phonology
Italian phonology
laryngeal typology
Laryngeal Realism
Laryngeal Relativism

How to Cite

Berces, K. B., & Huszthy, B. (2018). Laryngeal Relativism predicts Italian. Yearbook of the Poznan Linguistic Meeting, 4(1), 153–177. https://doi.org/10.2478/yplm-2018-0007

Abstract

However, in the “classical” version of [sg] languages (e.g., English), no laryngeal activity in the form of any kind of spreading is attested, which suggests the absence of any source element and, instead, a dominant role of obstruency (|h|). We, therefore, arrive at a three-way typology: h-systems, H-systems and L-systems. At the same time, arbitrary phonetic interpretation in LR predicts the existence of, e.g., h-systems with virtually no aspiration in the fortis series. We claim that this is indeed the characterisation of Italian. Using data from potential feature spreading situations, elicited in loanword and foreign accent settings, we show that Italian is an h-system, exhibiting no true laryngeal activity.

https://doi.org/10.2478/yplm-2018-0007
PDF

References

Backley, P. 2012. “Variation in element theory”. Linguistic Variation 1(1). 57–102.

Balogné Bérces, K. 2017. Binary laryngeal systems in a privative model of melodic representations. 15es Rencontres du Réseau Français de Phonologie (RFP2017), Grenoble, 5–7 July 2017. <https://btk.ppke.hu/uploads/articles/463196/file/RFP-BBK-2017.pdf>

Balogné Bérces, K. and D. Huber. 2010a. “Naughty or nice? or: Why Swedish and Dutch are well-behaved Germanic languages”. Poster, The Eighteenth Manchester Phonology Meeting, 20–22 May 2010. <https://btk.ppke.hu/uploads/articles/463196/file/mfm18-poszterhez.pdf>

Balogné Bérces, K. and D. Huber. 2010b. “Sg on [sg] and [voice] in GP1.x and GP2.0”. Government Phonology Roundtable (GPRT’10), Ljubljana, 8–9 May 2010. <https://btk.ppke.hu/uploads/articles/463196/file/gprt-2010.pdf>

Balogné Bérces, K. and B. Huszthy. 2017. “The “real” and “relative” typology of binary laryngeal systems”. 2nd Budapest Linguistics Conference (BLINC2), ELTE, Budapest, 1–3 June 2017.

Cyran, E. 2012. “Cracow sandhi voicing is neither phonological nor phonetic. It is both phonological and phonetic”. In: Cyran, E., B. Szymanek and H. Kardela (eds.), Sound, structure and sense. Studies in memory of Edmund Gussmann. Lublin: Wydawnictwo KUL. 153–184.

Cyran, E. 2014. Between phonology and phonetics: Polish voicing. (Studies in Generative Grammar 118.) Berlin: Mouton de Gruyter.

Cyran, E. 2017. “‘Voice’ languages with no [voice]? Some consequences of Laryngeal Relativism”. Acta Linguistica Academica 64(4). 477–511.

Harris, J. 1994. English sound structure. Oxford: Blackwell Publishers.

Honeybone, P. 2005. “Diachronic evidence in segmental phonology: The case of obstruent laryngeal specifications”. In: van Oostendorp, M. and J. van de Weijer (eds.), The internal organization of phonological segments. Berlin: Mouton de Gruyter. 319–354.

Honeybone, P. 2011. “Lost in linguistics. A guide to the current landscape of linguistic theory. Phonology”. Handouts for a minicourse held at the University of Oslo, October 2011.

Huber, D. and K. Balogné Bérces. 2010. “[voice] and/versus [spread glottis] in the modified Leiden model”. Acta Linguistica Hungarica 57(4). 444–457.

Huszthy, B. In preparation. How can Italian phonology lack voice assimilation? (PhD dissertation, PPCU, Budapest.)

Iverson, G. K. and J. C. Salmons. 1995. “Aspiration and laryngeal representation in Germanic”. Phonology 12. 369–396.

Iverson, G.K. and J.C. Salmons. 1999. “Glottal spreading bias in Germanic”. Linguistische Berichte 178. 135–151.

Iverson, G.K. and J.C. Salmons. 2008. “Germanic aspiration: Phonetic enhancement and language contact”. Sprachwissenschaft 33. 257–278.

Kaye, J.D. 2005. “GP, I’ll have to put your flat feet on the ground”. In: Broekhuis, H., N. Corver, R. Huybregts, U. Kleinhenz and J. Koster (eds.), Organizing grammar. Studies in honor of Henk van Riemsdijk. Berlin: Mouton de Gruyter. 283–288.

Kaye, J.D. and M. Pöchtrager. 2017. “VOT do you mean? Pulp fiction”. Government Phonology Roundtable (GPRT’17), Budapest, 18 November 2017.

Krämer, M. 2009. The phonology of Italian. Oxford: Oxford University Press.

Maddieson, I. 1984. Patterns of sounds. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

Nasukawa, K. 2005. A unified approach to nasality and voicing. Berlin and New York: Mouton de Gruyter.

Ringen, C. and P. Helgason. 2004. “Distinctive [voice] does not imply regressive assimilation: Evidence from Swedish”. International Journal of English Studies 4(2). 53–71.

Szigetvári, P. To appear. “Emancipating lenes. A reanalysis of English obstruent clusters”. Acta Linguistica Academica 66.

Wells, J. C. 1982. Accents of English. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.