Acta Linguistica Hungarica
Volume/Issue:
Volume 62: Issue 2
Consonant lenition inside and outside the “minimal foot”
A Strict CV Phonology analysis
Author:
Katalin Balogné Bérces Pázmány Péter Catholic University, Hungaryberces.katalin@btk.ppke.hu

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Pages:
141–155
Online Publication Date:
Jun 2015
Publication Date:
01 Jun 2015
Article Category:
Research Article
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.1556/064.2015.62.2.2
Keywords:
lenition; English phonology; parameters; Government Phonology; Strict CV Phonology
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English represents stress-sensitive consonant lenition systems, in which the onsets of stressed syllables (as well as word-initial consonants) tend to resist diachronic lenition, resulting in synchronic alternations between foot-initial and foot-internal variants. However, there is empirical evidence that a further distinction needs to be drawn between two subtypes of foot-internal positions: one which is weak proper, included within a bimoraic domain (corresponding to the “minimal foot” in prosodic approaches); and a less weak (“semi-weak”) position outside that minimal domain. Crucially, lenition outside the domain implies lenition within, and no cases of lenition in semi-weak only are on record. The paper uses the representations of Strict CV Phonology to capture the equivalence of two forms of the “minimal foot” (the CVCV sequence and the long-vowelled heavy syllable) and to connect this “bimoraicity” of the domain to the implications in consonant lenition, a benefit moraic theory does not offer. At the same time, it properly predicts the non-existence of the unattested lenition pattern.

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Cover Acta Linguistica Hungarica
Acta Linguistica Hungarica
Print ISSN:
1216-8076
Online ISSN:
1588-2624

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Editor(s)-in-Chief: Katalin É. Kiss,
Ferenc Kiefer

Editor: Éva Dékány

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Acta Linguistica Hungarica
Language English
Size  
Year of
Foundation		 1951
Publication
Programme		 changed title
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per Year		  
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per Year		  
Founder Magyar Tudományos Akadémia  
Founder's
Address		 H-1051 Budapest, Hungary, Széchenyi István tér 9.
Publisher Akadémiai Kiadó
Publisher's
Address		 H-1117 Budapest, Hungary 1516 Budapest, PO Box 245.
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ISSN 1216-8076 (Print)
ISSN 1588-2624 (Online)

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