Structure in Melody, and vice versa

In this paper we argue for a slightly modified conception of phonological representations along the lines of Government Phonology. Releasing C and V from their traditional, phonetically oriented connotations as consonants and vowels and promoting them into abstract phonological primitives, we show that phonological elements, melodic expressions and phonological structure can be viewed in a unfied way: they must obey shared, minimal structural requirements. Special focus is put on the question what it means when a certain structural position is empty, concerning the representation of consonants we will argue that this is the way how ‘stops’ are dealt with. Following this path we show how a series of longstanding problems of phonology can receive a new and coherent treatment, finishing with an analysis of the consonant inventory and consonant mutation processes in Venda.