Markedness, markedness inversion, and dependency phonology

Bibliographic Data

ID12059331
AuthorsW Scott Allan (University of Auckland, corresponding author), L Bauer (0000-0002-7632-0073, Victoria University of Wellington)
Year1991
Volume11
Issue2
Pages151-174
Publication date1991-12-01
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessNo
TypeARTICLE
VenueAustralian Journal of Linguistics (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 0726-8602 • E-ISSN: 1469-2996
PublisherTaylor & Francis (PUBLISHER • GB)
DOI10.1080/07268609108599460
OpenAlexW2026892376
LanguageEN
References cited17

One of the basic assumptions of dependency phonology is that the notation should encode the markedness values of segments, systems, and processes. Both the marking conventions and V and ‘m’ values are dispensed with, and markedness values are reflected in the complexity of representation assigned to a segment, system or process. For example, more frequent, and therefore less marked, segments should have less complex representations, and vice versa. While it would appear that the dependency notation does succeed in encoding markedness values, data from articulatory phonetics, acquisition and typological studies discussed in this article suggest that it can only do so in a superficial fashion. It appears from these studies that there is a correlation between place and manner of articulation in terms of markedness. At a marked place of articulation, for example palatal, the unmarked manner of articulation is glide, which is itself marked at the less marked places of articulation, for example denti‐alveolar. This reversal of markedness can be accounted for by markedness inversion, which claims that markedness values are inverted in more marked situations. However, markedness inversion cannot be easily assimilated into the dependency approach

Articulation (sociology · Inversion (geology · Linguistics · Markedness · Phonology · Political science · Computer Science · Linguistic Variation and Morphology · Philosophy · Phonetics and Phonology Research · Psychology · Syntax, Semantics, Linguistic Variation · Geology