The first serious typological survey of the lenition process in modern phonological literature.

First Published in 2002. The Italian phenomenon known as raddoppiamento sintattico, or sometimes raddoppiamento fonosintattico, has received a vast amount of attention. Long recognized in Italian grammar books, the process consists of the gemination of a word-initial consonant in certain environments. The word raddoppiamento means “doubling,” and it is deemed “syntactic” or “phonosyntactic” because the process spans word boundaries. This offers a synchronic and diachronic cross-dialectical study of this phenomenon.

Phonetically Based Phonology is centred around the hypothesis that phonologies of languages are determined by phonetic principles; that is, phonetic patterns involving ease of articulation and perception are expressed linguistically as grammatical constraints. This book brings together a team of scholars to provide a wide-ranging study of phonetically based phonology. It investigates the role of phonetics in many phonological phenomena - such as assimilation, vowel reduction, vowel harmony, syllable weight, contour line distribution, metathesis, lenition, sonority sequencing, and the Obligatory Contour Principle (OCP) - exploring in particular the phonetic bases of phonological markedness in these key areas. The analyses also illustrate several analytical strategies whereby phonological sound patterns can be related to their phonological underpinnings. Each chapter includes a tutorial discussion of the phonetics on which the phonological discussion is based. Diverse and comprehensive in its coverage, Phonetically Based Phonology will be welcomed by all linguists interested in the relationship between phonetics and phonological theory.

This collection of papers focuses on the general theme of phonological strength, bringing together current work being undertaken in a variety of leading theoretical frameworks. Its aim is to show how referring directly to strength relations can facilitate explanation in different parts of the phonological grammar. The papers introduce illuminating data from a wide range of languages including English, Dutch, German, Greek, Japanese, Bambara, Yuhup, Nivkh, Sesotho and other Bantu systems, demonstrating how strength differences are central to the analysis of phonological patterning not only in well-documented cases of segmental asymmetry but also in other areas of description including language acquisition, pitch accent patterns and tonal phenomena. All of the contributors agree on the need for a phonological (as opposed to a phonetic) approach to the question of strength differences, and show how a strength-based analysis may proceed in various theoretical models including Dependency Phonology, Government Phonology, Strict CV Phonology and Optimality Theory. Many of the papers develop a structural account of their data, in which strength relations are understood to reflect asymmetric licensing relations holding between units in representations. The volume provides a snapshot of current thinking on the question of strength in phonology. The range of language data and theoretical contexts it explores give a clear indication that phonological strength acts as a common thread to unite a range of apparently unrelated patterns and processes.

Originally published as the Continuum Companion to Phonology, this book offers the definitive guide to a key area of linguistic study. It covers all the most important issues, concepts, movements and approaches in the field. Each companion offers a comprehensive reference resource giving an overview of key topics, research areas, new directions and a manageable guide to beginning or developing research in the field. It offers a survey of current research and also gives more practical guidance on advanced study and research in the area. The book includes coverage of key research areas in phonology, including the interaction of phonology with other areas of linguistics while also providing some guidance on how phonological research can be conducted in the field and in the laboratory. It moves from coverage of the smallest units such as features and syllables to larger units incorporating phrasal and prosodic structure. It is a complete resource for postgraduate students and researchers working in phonology.