A non-linear analysis of vowel-zero alternations in Polish

Bibliographic Data

ID7520541
AuthorsAndrew Spencer (0000-0002-0687-9939, Royal Central School of Speech and Drama, corresponding author)
Year1986
Volume22
Issue2
Pages249-280
Publication date1986-09-01
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueJournal of Linguistics (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 0022-2267 • E-ISSN: 1469-7742
PublisherCambridge University Press (PUBLISHER • US)
DOI10.1017/s0022226700010793
OpenAlexW2154377081
LanguageEN
Citations received23
References cited9

Gussmann (1980) has presented an analysis of Polish morphophonemics within the framework of SPE (Chomsky & Halle, 1968). His treatment appeals extensively to underlying representations containing segments which never appear in surface representations. He justifies this use of absolute neutralization with the claim that other rules of Polish phonology appeal to such underlying forms. Rubach (1984) has reanalysed much of Gussmann's description within the framework of Kiparsky's (1982) Lexical Phonology, retaining the analysis of the neutralized segments and even adding to the inventory of abstract elements. The arguments presented by both scholars are a paradigm of elegance and ingenuity, representing generative phonological analysis at its best. However, the considerable reliance they put on abstract underlying representations, morphologically conditioned rules, extrinsic rule ordering and other devices which give rise to a high degree of opacity arouses suspicion. For this reason I have sought to re-examine some of their material within a more ‘concrete’ interpretation of Lexical Phonology, making use of recent ideas from theories of non-linear phonology and theories of allomorphy

Appeal · Generative grammar · Interpretation (philosophy · Linguistics · Phonology · Vowel · Language and Culture · Law · Linguistic research and analysis · Linguistic Studies and Language Acquisition · Philosophy · Psychology