Paradigms In Phonological Theory

This book presents new insights on the phonology-morphology interface. It discusses a wide range of central theoretical issues, including the role of paradigms in synchronic grammars, and does so in the context of a wide variety of languages including several non-Indo-European languages.Paradigm uniformity has a long tradition in pre-generative linguistics but until recently played a minor role in theoretical phonology. Optimality Theory has drawn renewed attention to paradigmatic effects, formalized by constraints comparing the surface pronunciation of morphologically relatedwords. The ten chapters in this volume illustrate how a wide range of exceptions to regular phonological processes can be explained in this fashion. The chapters address such important theoretical questions as: do paradigms have a morphological base? If so, how is it defined? Why do paradigmaticeffects hold for only certain subsets of words? In which areas of the grammar are paradigmatic effects likely to be found? The authors discuss new data from the synchronic grammars of a wide variety of unrelated languages, including: Modern Hebrew, Chimwiini and Jita (Bantu), Halkomelem (Salish),Hungarian, and Arabic.

Laura Downing's research has concentrated on theoretical phonology and morphology of Bantu languages, since her thesis on the Tonal Phonology of Jita (published by Lincom Europa in 1996). Recent publications include: Compounding and Tonal Non-transfer in Bantu Languages (Phonology, 2003) and Stress, Tone and Focus in Chichewa and Xhosa (Frankfurter Afrikanistische Blatter 15, 2003). She is also currently working on a book entitled Prosodic Morphology: The Phonology and Morphology of Canonical Forms (Mouton).
T. A. Hall teaches Linguistics at the University of Leipzig. His most recent publications include Phonologie: Eine Einfuhrung (De Gruyter, 2000), Distinctive Feature Theory (editor, Mouton 2001) and Against Extrasyllabic Consonants in German and English (Phonology 19: 2002).
Renate Raffelsiefen teaches Linguistics at The Free University of Berlin. Recent publications include Phonological Constraints on English Word Formation (Yearbook of Morphology, 1999) and Gaps vis-a-vis other Effects in English Morphophonology (Phonology 20, 2003).