Phon&Phon 24 Mar 2015: C Anderson on abstraction and minimality in vowel systems (Irish)

The Department of Contemporary English Language (DoCELu) invites you to a Phon&Phon meeting:
 

Cormac Anderson

Abstraction and minimality in vowel systems typology: The case of Irish

Tuesday, 24 Feb 2015, 18:30, Room 601A
 

Abstract:

It is a deep-rooted and pervasive truism in phonology that all languages distinguish consonants and vowels and, by extension, that every language has distinct consonant and vowel systems, each of which is subject to different principles of minimality and contrast. This paper interrogates the ontology of the consonant–vowel dichotomy with reference to a comprehensive survey of languages with minimal vowel systems carried out by the author. It is argued that these languages present difficulties for mainstream phonological frameworks and for vowel systems modelling. An analysis of data from one such language, Irish, is presented to show how these difficulties might be overcome through an abstract and cognitive model of phonological representation.
 

Submitted by J Weckwerth

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