24.961 Introduction to Phonology


Introduction to current research questions in phonological theory. Topics include introductory phonetics, phonological features, autosegmental phonology, syllable structure and stress.

Lecture: TuTh 10-12, Room E56-249
 
Instructors:  
Dr. Hubert Truckenbrodt, visiting professor  (hubertt@mit.edu)
Professor Cheryl Zoll  (czoll@mit.edu)
Zhiqiang Li (TA) (zqli@mit.edu)

 



 
September 7-September 28 Basic phonetics, phonological features and rules 
October 3-October 24 Autosegmental Phonology I
October 26-November 16 Syllables
November 21-December 12 Stress and Metrical Structure


Requirements


Basic Phonetics, Phonological Features and Rules
 
Topics Reading
September 7 Articulatory phonetics: the vocal tract  
September 12 Articulatory phonetics: the larynx Ladefoged 1993, Chapters 1 and 2
September 14 Acoustic phonetics  
September 19 Acoustic phonetics Ladefoged 1993, Chapter 8
September 21 Features and natural classes textbook pp.12-26
September 26 Rules and representations textbook pp.27-48
September 28 Rule ordering textbook pp.57-74

 

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Autosegmental Phonology
 
Topics Reading
October 3 Motivations textbook pp. 310-338
October 5 Licit representations and the OCP  
October 12 Feature Geometry McCarthy 1988
October 17 Underspecification I textbook 506-521
October 19 Locality textbook 346-359
October 24 Underspecification II  

 

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The Syllable
 
Topics Reading
October 26 The skeleton and geminates  
October 31 Syllable structure and stray erasure textbook pp.250-269
November 2 Syllable structure and epenthesis  
November 7 Sonority, the Coda Condition Ito 1989
November 9 Syllables and Optimality Theory  
November 14 ... continued Kager 1999, Chapter 3
November 16 ... continued  

 

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Stress and Metrical Structure
 
Topic Reading
November 21 Rhythmic Structure textbook pp. 548-577
November 28 Directionality Kager 1999: Ch. 4, p. 161-176
November 30 Foot Type I textbook pp. 587-592
December 5 Foot type II  
December 7 Edge effects Rosenthall & van der Hulst 1999
December 12 Stress, OT and learnability issues Tesar 1997

 

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Bibliography:

Hayes, B. (1995). Metrical theory: principles and case studies. Chicago, University of Chicago Press.

Ito, J. (1989). A prosodic theory of epenthesis. NLLT 7: 217-259.

Kager, R. (1999). Optimality Theory. Cambridge, Cambridge University Press.

Kenstowicz, M. (1994). Phonology in generative grammar. Cambridge, MA, Blackwell.

Kenstowicz, M. and M. Kidda (1987). The Obligatory Contour Principle and Tangale Phonology. Current Approaches to African Linguistics (vol. 4). D. Odden. Dordrecht, Foris: 223-238.

Ladefoged, P. (1993). A Course in Phonetics. Orlando, Florida, Harcourt Brace & Company.

McCarthy, J. (1988). "Feature geometry and dependency: a review." Phonetica 43: 84-108.

Prince, A. (1990). Quantitative consequences of rhythmic organization. Papers from the Twenty-Sixth Regional Meeting of the Chicago Linguistics Society, vol. 2: The Parasession on the syllable in phonetics and phonology. M. Ziolkowski. Chicago, Chicago Linguistic Society: 355-398.

Pulleyblank, D. (1988). "Vocalic underspecification in Yoruba." Linguistic Inquiry 19(2): 233-270.

Rosenthall, S. and H. v. d. Hulst (1999). "Weight-By-Position by Position." NLLT 17(3): 499-540.

Steriade, D. (1987). Redundant values. Papers from the Twenty-Third Regional Meeting of the Chicago Linguistics Society, vol. 2: 339-362.

Tesar, B. (1997). "An Iterative Strategy for Learning Metrical Stress in Optimality Theory." ROA-177-0297.
 
 
 
 

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