Using Model Theory in Phonology: A Novel Characterization of Syllable Structure and Syllabification

مرکز و کتابخانه مطالعات اسلامی به زبان های اروپایی

منو

" Using Model Theory in Phonology: A Novel Characterization of Syllable Structure and Syllabification "
Strother-Garcia, Kristina Heinz, Jeffrey

Document Type	:	Latin Dissertation
Language of Document	:	English
Record Number	:	1052255
Doc. No	:	TL51372
Main Entry	:	Strother-Garcia, Kristina
Title & Author	:	Using Model Theory in Phonology: A Novel Characterization of Syllable Structure and Syllabification\ Strother-Garcia, KristinaHeinz, Jeffrey
College	:	University of Delaware
Date	:	2019
Degree	:	Ph.D.
student score	:	2019
Note	:	183 p.
Abstract	:	This dissertation investigates the computational properties of syllable-based phenomena using tools from Model Theory. Although the syllable has been studied by linguists for over a century, the computational complexity of syllable well-formedness and syllabification processes has not yet been investigated. After introducing the necessary formalisms from Model Theory, I present three main findings. First, I show that three types of syllable structure representations from the literature are notationally equivalent, meaning we can `translate' between them very easily without loss of information. Second, I formalize syllable well-formedness patterns in Imdlawn Tashlhiyt Berber (ITB) and Moroccan Arabic (MA) as grammars of local, inviolable constraints. Third, I formalize syllabification processes in ITB and MA using Quantifier-Free logic, a weak logical language that can only make local computations. Taken together, these findings support the hypothesis---contrary to constraint-based paradigms which emphasize global optimization---that syllable-based phenomena are fundamentally local in nature.
Descriptor	:	Linguistics
	:	Mathematics
Added Entry	:	Heinz, Jeffrey
Added Entry	:	University of Delaware