Review Notes 4 Flashcards
Speakers have some sort of underlying knowledge of:
Features and Feature Economy.
What is it about phonological processes that make feature specification apparent?
Segments that hold relevant features either trigger the process or are targets of the process.
What is Underspecification?
When features fail to be apparent in a phonological process in which they are expected to operate. When a feature is “transparent.”
What is Underspecification?
When features fail to be apparent in a phonological process in which they are expected to operate. When a feature is “transparent.”
Underspecification is usually determined based on:
Phonological Activity.
All underspecification theories share the idea that:
Distinctive features are only specified for segments when they are not predictable.
What example in Russian is underspecified and how do we know?
[m] is underspecified, and we know because it does not trigger syllable-final assimilation when it is part of a following onset.
How do we know /a/ in Lamba is underspecified and why?
/a/ is neutral, rather than [-high]: it doesn’t trigger assimilation of high vowels. It is underspecified because it is already specified for [+low].
On what basis can underspecified features be determined?
On a language-specific basis.
What do we know about CLA and morphology?
Kids learn morphology much later than phonology, so morphological alternations aren’t learned at the same time as features.
What part of language do kids tackle first?
Phonetics
Why aren’t kids born with a full understanding of phonology?
A phonologically underspecified lexicon is too complex, and language-specific.
What part of phonology has to be learned?
Phonological Activity (non-natural classes)
What is unique about the uvular fricative in French?
It’s specified as both a liquid and a fricative, so it appears redundant.
How does Feature Emergence relate to Universal Grammar?
Features aren’t innate; the learner is born with phonological systems in place that will help them learn features.
