Linguistics 523: Phonological Theory I
UNC-Chapel Hill Linguistics
Spring 2025
Elliott Moreton

2025 April 16 (W)

Topics: Phonological learning I: The initial state.

Class:

• First half of Gnanadesikan 2004:
  • "Emergence of the unmarked"
  • "Continuity hypothesis": Child and adult use same constraints with different ranking. Evidence?
  • Does universality imply innateness? What are the alternatives?
  • What is child's input? How can we tell?

Assignment for Monday, April 21: Finish reading Gnanadesikan 2004, with second reading guide on Canvas.

2025 April 14 (M)

Topics: Positional privilege, Positional Markedness, and Positional Faithfulness.

Class:

• Start Zoom
• Discussion of Zoll 2004 reading (HO on Canvas)
• Using data to contrast competing theories

Assignment for 4/16 (W):

• Read the first 4 sections of Gnanadesikan 2004 (with reading guide on Canvas)
• Think about the Jesney (2016) question at the end of the Zoll handout (if we didn't get to it in class)

2025 April 9 (W)

Topics: Evidence for markedness constraints.

Class:

• Start Zoom
• Discussion of Pater 2004 *NC article.
• Phonetic grounding of markedness constraints.
• Positional faithfulness (Root-Lin vs. Lin)
• Stringency relationships (Root-Lin and Lin, Max-Obst and Max)
• The "too-many-solutions problem"

Assignment for 4/14 M: Read Zoll 2004 on positional markedness (Canvas).

2025 April 7 (M)

Topics: Factorial typology. Squibs.

Class:

• Discuss HW 7
• Time permitting: Another ICP on a similar theme, illustrating abstract analogy across contrast phenomena.
• General points about squib projects. HO "Focusing a squib" (Canvas)

Assignments:

• For 4/9 W: Read Pater (2004) "*NC" (Canvas).
• For 4/14 M: Squib prospectus (see 3/19 handout for details)

2025 April 2 (W)

Topics: Allophony, contrast, and factorial typology.

Class:

• ICP: Allophony, contrast, and neutralization in voicing (Limbu, etc.)
  • Factorial typology
  • Relationship between (1) possible rankings, (2) predicted grammars, (3) attested grammars
• Questions re pending assignment??

Assignments:

• For 4/7 M: HW 6, factorial typology and contrast
• For 4/14 M: Squib prospectus (see 3/19 handout for details)

2025 March 31 (M)

Topics: Factorial typology.

Class:

• From last time: English syllabification problem
• HO: Summary of English syllabification problem (Canvas)
• Note re-use of constraints in unrelated languages
• (Half-) HW 6: Factorial typology of syllable types.
• Harmonic bounding
• Check predicted typology of syllabification and syllables against actual data (Blevins 1995).

Assignments::

• For 4/7 M: HW 7, factorial typology and contrast

2025 March 26 (W)

Topics: Universality of constraints. Alignment.

Class:

• Negev Bedouin Arabic problem
  • Alignment constraints.
  • Ranking arguments.
  • When are two constraints rankable?
  • Finding informative losers.
• HO: Writing up Negev Bedouin Arabic (Canvas)
• English syllabification problem
• HO: Summary of English syllabification problem (Canvas)
• Note re-use of constraints in unrelated languages

Assignment for 3/31 M: (Half-) HW 6, factorial typology of syllabification and syllable types.

2025 March 24 (M)

Topics: Candidates and rankings

Class:

• Discuss HW 5 (Diola Fogny) and the issues it presents:
  • Winning and failed candidates
  • Markedness and faithfulness constraints
  • Violation tableaus
  • Ranking arguments. When are two constraints rankable?
  • Finding informative losers

2025 March 19 (W)

Topics: OT basics -- overview

Class:

• Markedness and faithfulness constraints
• Correspondence notation
• Comparative tableaus for ranking constraints from data
• SPE and OT compared
• Preview: About Squibs (Canvas)

Assignment for 3/24 M

• Do Assignment 5 on Diola Fogny syllable structure
• Read parts of McCarthy (2007) (the Reading Guide, in the Canvas Resources folder, will say which sections)

2025 March 17 (M)

Topics: Targets and candidates, illustrated with syllabification.

Class:

• Comments on midterm (brief)
• Tibetan Numerals again:
  • Surface targets and rule conspiracies.
  • Competing candidates.
• HO: Tibetan Summary (on Canvas)

Assignment for 3/24 (M): Assignment 5, output targets in Diola Fogny.

2025 March 5 (W) -- MIDTERM

2025 March 3 (M)

Topics: Syllables, syllabification, and syllable-sensitive phonological rules.

Class:

• Evidence for the existence of syllables
• Internal structure of syllable: Onset, Nucleus, Coda
• ICP: Cairene Arabic "emphasis" spread (HO, Canvas; audio examples from the International Phonetic Association)
• ICP: Tibetan numerals (with hidden agenda)

Assignment for 3/5 W: MIDTERM

2025 Feb. 26 (W)

Topics: Autosegmental representations

Class:

• Tone-segment independence (slides, Canvas)
  • In-class problems: Tones and segments in an ordinary language: Margi (Kenstowicz 1994)
  • Autosegmental representations: tiers and association lines
• Non-tonal example: Nasal spreading in Sundanese
• Non-tonal example: Nasal place assimilation in Latin

Assignment: for 3/3 M: Read Zsiga 2013, Ch. 15, Sections 15.1.1, 15.1.2, and 15.1.3 (pages 331--338), which will introduce syllables.

2025 Feb. 24 (M)

Topics: Rule ordering.

Class:

• Go over Assignment 4, Catalan adjectives, and the issues it raises
  • What is the input to the phonology? (Dutch-nouns slides; K&K 1979, Ch. 2).
  • Abstractness of underlying representations
  • Rule ordering
• Time permitting: Begin non-linear representations.
  • In-class problem: tone-segment independence (handout on Canvas)
  • In-class problems: What representations do we need for Margi? (slides on Canvas)

Preview: The take-home midterm will become available at the end of class on 3/3 M, and is due at the end of class on 3/5 W.

2025 Feb. 19 (W) --- Class cancelled due to snow

2025 Feb. 17 (M)

Topics:Building rule-based models. Rule ordering.

Class:

• SPE rule notation (slides, Canvas)
• In-class problem: Northern Salentino Italian metaphony
• Summary: Northern Salentino Italian
• In-class problem: Lithuanian and New Julfa Armenian
• Questions on pending HW #4?

Assignment for 2/19 (W): #4, Catalan adjectives

2025 Feb. 12 (W)

Topics: Feature classes and natural classes.

Class:

• HW 3, testing class predictions.
  • What examples did you find?
  • What makes these classes so common?

Assignment:

• for 2/17 M: Read G&J Ch. 6, Sections 1--4, on rule notation and rule ordering.
• for 2/19 W: HW 4, Catalan adjectives

2025 Feb. 5 (W)

Topics: Place features: unary, binary, and dependent. Organizing data to find feature-based generalizations.

Class:

• Go over G&J place features using "Feature Questions 2" HO and slides
  • Unary features.
  • Dependent features.
  • Example: [anterior], [distributed]
• From data to features: Organizing data to find feature-based generalizations (slides on Canvas)
• Why are palatals such a headache for feature theory? (HO, Canvas)

Assignment for 2/12 W: HW 3, testing predictions of a feature-theory proposal.

2025 Feb. 3 (M)

Topics: Applying feature theory to data, and vice versa.

Class:

• Class today is in Davis Library, Room 246
• From features to data
  • Pending HW 3: Testing class predictions.
  • Presentation by Kirill Tolpygo, UNC Libraries, on how to do that.

Assignment for 2/12 W: HW 3, testing class predictions

2025 Jan. 29 (W)

Topics: Distinctive-feature theory.

Class:

• General points about using distinctive features to define classes (slides, Canvas)
• A specific feature proposal (Gussenhoven and Jacobs 2005)
  • Major class features
  • Manner features
  • In-class problem(s) from the "Feature Questions 1" HO (Canvas)

Announcement: On 2/3 M, we'll meet in Davis Library, Room 246.

Assignment for 2/3 M:

• Read rest of Gussenhoven & Jacobs 2005, Ch. 5.
• Think about it in connection with "Feature Questions 2" HO (Canvas)
• Think about the in-text questions (Q42-Q47), and come prepared to discuss them.

2025 Jan. 27 (M)

Topics: Discovering natural classes.

• "Natural classes": Phonetically-defined sound classes that are involved in phonological patterns in multiple languages.
• Preview of feature theory (slides, Canvas)
• Criteria for evaluating competing theories of distinctive features: phonetics, contrast, and natural classes (Slides; McCarthy 2001 reading)

Assignment for 1/29 W:

• Read Gussenhoven & Jacobs 2005 Ch. 5 through the end of Section 4 ONLY. (Canvas)
• Prepare to discuss "Feature Questions (1)" HO (Canvas)

Announcement: On Monday, February 3rd, we will meet in Davis Library, Room 246.

2025 Jan. 22 (W)

Topics: Discovering natural classes.

Class:

• Discuss HW 2, Totonac vowels
• Model-selection criteria: formal simplicity and phonetic motivation
• "Natural classes" help with both
• In-class problems with a common theme (as many as will fit):
  • HO: German [ç] and [x] (Moulton 1962)
  • HO: Tohono O'odham affricates (Odden 2013)
  • HO: Kenyang [k] and [q] (Odden 2013)
• Points:
  • The same classes recur in unrelated languages
  • Those classes correspond to phonetic properties

Assignment for 1/27 M:

• Read McCarthy 2001 article in the MIT Encyclopedia of Cognitive Science (Canvas Resources)

2025 Jan. 15 (W)

Topics: Deciding between competing models. Phonological distributions.

Class:

• Start Zoom
• Deciding between competing analyses (slides, Canvas)
  • Kipsigis in-class problem. Points:
    • T-diagrams for finding effects of context
    • Alternations yield information relevant to non-alternating sounds too
    • Which analysis is to be preferred?
  • Georgian in-class problem. Points:
    • No alternations in data, but still predictable (i.e., allophony)
    • Which analysis is to be preferred?
  • HO: Summary of Georgian problem, and how to write it up

Assignment for 1/22 (W): HW 2, Totonac (Canvas, Resources)

2025 Jan. 13 (M)

Topics: Motivating phonology. Predictable vs. unpredictable information.

Class:

• Start Zoom
• Discuss Kenstowicz & Kisseberth 1979 reading
• Slides: Motivating phonology (Canvas; truncated version will be continued after exercise is solved)
• Predictable and unpredictable information
• In-class problem: Model-building for Dutch plurals (Gussenhoven & Jacobs 2005)
• HO: Summary of Dutch-plural problem, and how to write it up
  • Separating predictable information from unpredictable
  • Grammar-plus-lexicon model architecture

2025 Jan. 10 (W)

Topics: Course organization. What is phonology?

Class:

• Course organization.
  • Syllabus
  • Using relevant technology (Zoom, Canvas, IPA, class log, face mask).
  • UNC Honor Code.
• Read script on preparedness in the classroom.
• Slides: Examples of phonology (Canvas, Resources)
• Slides: "Language in a nutshell" (Canvas, Resources)

Assignment for 1/12 (F):

• Read Kenstowicz & Kisseberth 1979, Ch. 2, with reading guide
• HW 1, "Technology"