Phonology, Naturalness and Universals

Phonetics and phonology: gradience, categoriality, and naturalness

In this paper, we explore the relationship between phonetics and phonology, in an attempt to broaden the search for possible sources of complexity that arise in sound patterns and sound systems. We propose that complexity may be better understood if one considers phonetics and phonology together in their multi-faceted interaction. Our goal here is to present an overview of the relevant issues i...

Rule naturalness and the acquisition of phonology

Standard generative phonology: privileged status to " natural " phonological rules (those with a clear phonetic motivation). Making it easier for theories to express common processes (which tend strongly to belong to the natural category) is often considered a primary goal. " Unnatural " phenomena are typically relegated to a " peripheral " or secondary status. The usual (tacit) assumption: the...

Core phonology: Evidence from grammatical universals

The human capacity for language is one of the most contentious topics in cognitive science. While some researchers attribute language to domain-general mechanisms, others postulate a specialized language system. When it comes to the phonological component, however, even proponents of domain-specificity concede that specialization is unlikely (Fitch et al., 2005). Phonological competence, in thi...

Phonetic naturalness and unnaturalness in Japanese loanword phonology

This paper argues that phonetic naturalness and unnaturalness can interact within a single grammatical system. In Japanese loanword phonology, only voiced geminates, but not voiced singletons, devoice to dissimilate from another voiced obstruent. The neutralizability difference follows from a ranking which Japanese speakers created on perceptual grounds: IDENT(voi)Sing » IDENT(voi)Gem. On the o...

Modal-Dependence and Naturalness in Phonology: Confronting the Ontogenetic Question