USC Graduate Phonology ✳︎ Fall 2019 ✳︎ Smith


Syllables and typology in OT


The syllable

The syllable
The syllable

Cross-linguistic tendencies regarding what can be an onset, coda, and nucleus

The sonority scale
Vowels low vowels
mid vowels
high vowels
Glides glides
Liquids rhotics
laterals
Nasals nasals
Obstruents voiced fricatives
voiced stops
voiceless fricatives
voiceless stops

Contrastive syllabification?

Why do phonologists think syllable structure exists?

Typology of onsets and codas

Language Onsets Codas Possible syllables
Arabela, Siona, Piro, Hua, required forbidden CV
Totonac, Klamath, Nisqually, Tunica, Sedang, Dakota, Thargari required optional CV CVC
Pirahã, Mazateco Fijian, Cayuvava optional forbidden CV V
English, Gilyak Finnish, Tamazight Berber, Cairene Arabic, Spanish, Italian, Mokilese, Cuna optional optional CV V CVC VC

Acquisition of codas and onsets

Order of syllable structure acquisition in Dutch (Levelt et al 2000)
Stage 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9
Possible σ’s CV + CVC +V +VC +CCV +CCVC +CVCC +VCC +CCVCC

OT constraints on syllables

Complex margins

Typology of complex margins from Blevins (1995)
Langauge Complex onsets Complex codas Possible syllables (partial list)
Cairene Arabic, Mokilese, Thargari, Cuna forbidden forbidden CVC
Klamath, Finnish, Tunica, Tamazight Berber forbidden optional CVC CVCC
Sedang, Spanish, Dakota, Italian optional forbidden CVC CCVC
Totonac, English, Nisqually, Gilyak optional optional CVC CVCC CCVC CCVCC

Recap of important ideas