Selected papers by Germen J. de Haan
[Linguistik Aktuell/Linguistics Today 161] 2010
► pp. 341–356
In this paper we will present an alternative for the analysis of syllabic consonant syllables in West Frisian as proposed by Visser (1997). Visser derives such syllables phonologically from schwa-consonantal sonorant sequences by an unconstrained rule of Schwa-deletion, followed by a process of syllable reconstruction. Our alternative is based on a proposal of van Oostendorp (1995), who suggests that schwa-deletion should be accounted for lexically: cases of schwa-deletion are derived by base-generating schwa-less syllables, followed by schwa-epenthesis. We show that a lexical theory can account for a range of facts involving consonantal sonorant syllables with and without schwa-epenthesis. The results support a lexical theory of schwa-deletion and syllabic consonantal sonorants in Frisian.