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Article published in:
Romance Languages and Linguistic Theory 2006: Selected papers from ‘Going Romance’, Amsterdam, 7–9 December 2006
Edited by Danièle Torck and W. Leo Wetzels
[Current Issues in Linguistic Theory 303] 2009
► pp. 111–126

Romance lenition

Towards a formal account of a contrast maintaining phonetically motivated sound change

Haike Jacobs
Robbie van Gerwen

This paper proposes an OT account of diachronic and synchronic Romance lenition based on the theory of Comparative Markedness. The analysis, contrary to previous analyses, allows for a straightforward description of synchronic allophonic lenition processes where voicing and spirantization take place simultaneously without loss of contrast. The comparative markedness analysis of lenition not only allows for a parallel OT description of counter-feeding opacity in synchronic Gran Canarian, Corsican and Sardinian lenition, but moreover makes understandable why sound change should start out in a counter-feeding fashion.

Published online: 12 November 2009
https://doi.org/10.1075/cilt.303.07jac
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