This paper describes an algorithm for computing optimal structural descriptions for Optimality Theory grammars with context-free position structures. This algorithm extends Tesar's dynamic programming approach (Tesar, 1994) (Tesar, 1995a) to computing optimal structural descriptions from regular to context-free structures. The generalization to contextfree structures creates several complicatio...

Loanword phonology seeks to model the process by which foreign words are ‘nativised’ or incorporated into the phonological system of the ‘borrowing’ language. We can conceive of this as a parsing of the phonetic input provided by the foreign word forms, in accordance with phonological output constraints of the borrowing language. Following Silverman (1992) we conceive loanword formation as fund...

It has been well documented how language specific cues may be used for word segmentation. Here, we investigate what role a language-independent phonological universal, the sonority sequencing principle (SSP), may also play. Participants were presented with an unsegmented speech stream with non-English word onsets that juxtaposed adherence to the SSP and transitional probabilities. Participants ...

In fixed segmentism reduplication (FSR), reduplication is accompanied by addition of an affix which partially overwrites the reduplicant (the FSR affix). Nevins (2005) claims that the correspondencetheoretic analysis of FSR proposed by Alderete et al. (1999) faces three serious problems: First, it predicts the existence of unattested FSR systems where the FSR affix is backcopied to the base. Se...

Low-pro ien y non-native speakers represent a signi ant hallenge for large-vo abulary ontinuous spee h re ognition (LVCSR). A ousti models are onfused by a heavy a ent; language models are onfused by poor grammar and un onventional word hoi e. La k of omfort with the spoken language a e ts the fundamental properties of onne ted spee h that have been a fo us of LVCSR resear h; ross-word and inte...

articulatory vocal tract movement gestures as the basis of linguistic representations. Phonology-phonetics interface – to appear in Oxford Bibliographies in Linguistics, 8/13 21 Hamann, Silke. 2011. “Phonetics-phonology interface.” In The continuum companion to phonology. Edited by Nancy Kula, Bert Botma, and Kuniya Nasukawa, 202-224. London/New York: Continuum. Useful overview paper, providing...

We describe an on-going documentation project for Nahuatl, an indigenous language of Mexico. While we follow standard recommendations for documenting text corpora and for the dictionary, the usual recommendations are not explicit concerning the grammar. Since Nahuatl is an agglutinating language, the morphological component of the grammar is highly complex. Accordingly, we consider it essential...

Is Optimality Theory a constraining theory? A formal analysis shows that it is, if two auxiliary assumptions are made: (1) that only markedness and faithfulness constraints are allowed, and (2) that input and output representations are made from the same elements. Such OT grammars turn out to be incapable of computing circular or infinite chain shifts. These theoretical predictions are borne ou...