Variation and change in Italian phonology
On the mutual dependence of grammar and lexicon in Optimality Theory
In this paper I discuss the influence of language acquisition and borrowing on the reorganisation of grammar and lexicon in the development from Latin into Italian. We will have a look at the historical sequencing of the introduction of new phonological processes, velar palatalization, mid vowel breaking, and lateral palatalization, and how they conspire to create new contrasts or reintroduce contrasts that have been subject to neutralisation. The amphichronic analysis proposed here brings together insights from acquisition and loanword phonology in Optimality Theory to explain the historical development.
References (45)
References
Anttila, Arto & Young-mee Yu Cho. 1998. Variation and Change in Optimality Theory. Lingua 104: 31-56. Special issue on Optimality Theory. Partially reprinted in John J. McCarthy (ed.). 2003. Optimality Theory in Phonology: A Reader. Blackwell, Oxford, U.K. and Malden, Massachusetts, with an introductory note by the editor. ![DOI logo](https://benjamins.com/logos/doi-logo.svg)
![Google Scholar](https://benjamins.com/logos/google-scholar.svg)
Bermúdez-Otero, Ricardo. 2006. Phonological change in Optimality Theory. In Encyclopedia of Language and Linguistics, 2nd edn, Vol. 9, Keith Brown (ed.), 497-505. Oxford: Elsevier. ![DOI logo](https://benjamins.com/logos/doi-logo.svg)
![Google Scholar](https://benjamins.com/logos/google-scholar.svg)
Bermúdez-Otero, Ricardo. 2007. Diachronic phonology. In The Cambridge Handbook of Phonology, Paul de Lacy (ed.), 497-517. Cambridge: CUP. ![DOI logo](https://benjamins.com/logos/doi-logo.svg)
![Google Scholar](https://benjamins.com/logos/google-scholar.svg)
Bermúdez-Otero, Ricardo. 2014. Amphichronic explanation and the life cycle of phonological processes. In The Oxford Handbook of Historical Phonology, Patrick Honeybone & Joseph C. Salmons (eds), 374-399. Oxford: OUP.![Google Scholar](https://benjamins.com/logos/google-scholar.svg)
Bermúdez-Otero, Ricardo. Forthcoming. Stratal Optimality Theory. Oxford: OUP.
Bermúdez-Otero, Ricardo & Hogg, Richard M. 2003. The actuation problem in Optimality Theory: Phonologization, rule inversion and rule loss. In Optimality Theory and Language Change, D. Eric Holt (ed.), 91-119. Dordrecht: Kluwer. ![DOI logo](https://benjamins.com/logos/doi-logo.svg)
![Google Scholar](https://benjamins.com/logos/google-scholar.svg)
Broselow, Ellen, Chen, Su-I & Wang, Chilin. 1998. The emergence of the unmarked in second language phonology. Studies in Second Language Acquisition 20: 261-280. ![DOI logo](https://benjamins.com/logos/doi-logo.svg)
![Google Scholar](https://benjamins.com/logos/google-scholar.svg)
Clements, George N. 1990. The role of the sonority cycle in core syllabification. In Papers in Laboratory Phonology, I: Between the Grammar and Physics of Speech, John Kingston & Mary Beckman (eds), 283-333. Cambridge: CUP. ![DOI logo](https://benjamins.com/logos/doi-logo.svg)
![Google Scholar](https://benjamins.com/logos/google-scholar.svg)
Collins, Joe & Krämer, Martin. 2016. Crazy rules and grounded constraints. In Proceedings of
CLS
51.
Downing, Laura 1998. On the Prosodic Misalignment of Onsetless Syllables. Natural Language & Linguistic Theory 16: 1–52. ![DOI logo](https://benjamins.com/logos/doi-logo.svg)
![Google Scholar](https://benjamins.com/logos/google-scholar.svg)
Giavazzi, Maria. 2008. On the application of velar palatalization in Italian. In Proceedings of
WCCFL 27, UCLA Working Papers in Linguistics
, 20-29.
Giavazzi, Maria. 2012. Stress-conditioned Palatalization in Italian. Ms, MIT.![Google Scholar](https://benjamins.com/logos/google-scholar.svg)
Holt, D. Eric (ed.). 2003. Optimality Theory and Language Change. Dordrecht: Kluwer. ![DOI logo](https://benjamins.com/logos/doi-logo.svg)
![Google Scholar](https://benjamins.com/logos/google-scholar.svg)
Ito, Junko. 1988. Syllable Theory in Prosodic Phonology. New York NY: Garland.![Google Scholar](https://benjamins.com/logos/google-scholar.svg)
Ito, Junko & Mester, Armin. 1999. The structure of the phonological lexicon. In The Handbook of Japanese Linguistics, Natsuko Tsujimura (ed.), 62-100. Oxford: Blackwell.![Google Scholar](https://benjamins.com/logos/google-scholar.svg)
Ito, Junko & Mester, Armin. 2001. Covert generalizations in Optimality Theory: The role of stratal faithfulness constraints. In Proceedings of the 2001 International Conference on Phonology and Morphology, The Phonology-Morphology Circle of Korea (ed.), 3-33. Seoul: The Phonology-Morphology Circle of Korea.![Google Scholar](https://benjamins.com/logos/google-scholar.svg)
Kiparsky, Paul. 1973. Phonological representations. In Three Dimensions of Linguistic Theory, Osamu Fujimura (ed.), 3-136. Tokyo: TEC.![Google Scholar](https://benjamins.com/logos/google-scholar.svg)
Kiparsky, Paul. 2006. The amphichronic program vs. evolutionary phonology. Theoretical Linguistics 32: 217-36. ![DOI logo](https://benjamins.com/logos/doi-logo.svg)
![Google Scholar](https://benjamins.com/logos/google-scholar.svg)
Kiparsky, Paul. 2015. New perspectives in historical linguistics. In Handbook of Historical Linguistics, Claire Bowern & Bethwyn Evans (eds). London: Routledge.![Google Scholar](https://benjamins.com/logos/google-scholar.svg)
Kirchner, Robert. 1996. Synchronic chain shifts in Optimality Theory. Linguistic Inquiry 27: 341-350.![Google Scholar](https://benjamins.com/logos/google-scholar.svg)
Kochetov, A. 2016. Palatalization and glide strengthening as competing repair strategies: Evidence from Kirundi. Glossa: a journal of general linguistics, 1(1), 14. ![DOI logo](https://benjamins.com/logos/doi-logo.svg)
![Google Scholar](https://benjamins.com/logos/google-scholar.svg)
Krämer, Martin. 2009a. The Phonology of Italian. Oxford: OUP.![Google Scholar](https://benjamins.com/logos/google-scholar.svg)
Krämer, Martin. 2009b. Crypto-variation in Italian velar palatalisation. In Romance Linguistics: Structures, Interfaces, and Microparametric Variation [Current Issues in Linguistic Theory 304], Pascual J. Masullo, Erin O'Rourke & Chia-Hui Huang (eds), 193-208. Amsterdam: John Benjamins. ![DOI logo](https://benjamins.com/logos/doi-logo.svg)
![Google Scholar](https://benjamins.com/logos/google-scholar.svg)
Krämer, Martin. 2009c. Main stress in Italian nonce nouns. In Romance Languages and Linguistic Theory 2006, [Current Issues in Linguistic Theory 303], Danièle Torck & W. Leo Wetzels (eds), 127-141. Amsterdam: John Benjamins. ![DOI logo](https://benjamins.com/logos/doi-logo.svg)
![Google Scholar](https://benjamins.com/logos/google-scholar.svg)
Krämer, Martin. 2012. Underlying Representations. Cambridge: CUP. ![DOI logo](https://benjamins.com/logos/doi-logo.svg)
![Google Scholar](https://benjamins.com/logos/google-scholar.svg)
Krämer, Martin. 2016. Mataphonic chain shifts, vowel height, and markedness. In Approaches to metaphony in the Languages of Italy, Francesc Torres-Tamarit, Kathrin Linke & Marc van Oostendorp (eds), 277-299. Berlin/Boston: De Gruyter. ![DOI logo](https://benjamins.com/logos/doi-logo.svg)
![Google Scholar](https://benjamins.com/logos/google-scholar.svg)
Łubowicz, Anna. 2002. Derived environment effects in Optimality Theory. Lingua 112: 243-280. ![DOI logo](https://benjamins.com/logos/doi-logo.svg)
![Google Scholar](https://benjamins.com/logos/google-scholar.svg)
Łubowicz, Anna. 2004. Counter-feeding opacity as a chain shift effect. Proceedings of
WCCFL
22: 315-327.
Łubowicz, Anna. 2011. Chain shifts. In Blackwell Companion to Phonology, Marc van Oostendorp, Colin Ewen, Beth Hume & Keren Rice (eds). Hoboken NJ: Wiley-Blackwell.![Google Scholar](https://benjamins.com/logos/google-scholar.svg)
McCarthy, John. 2005. Taking a free ride in morphophonemic learning. In ‘Morphology in Phonology’, Maria-Rosa Lloret & Jesus Jiménez (eds). Thematic issue of Catalan Journal of Linguistics 4: 19-55.![Google Scholar](https://benjamins.com/logos/google-scholar.svg)
McCarthy, John. 2007. Hidden Generalizations. Phonological Opacity in Optimality Theory. London: Equinox.![Google Scholar](https://benjamins.com/logos/google-scholar.svg)
McCarthy, John & Alan Prince 1994. The Emergence of the Unmarked: Optimality in Prosodic Morphology. In Proceedings of NELS, Mercè Gonzalez (ed.) 24: 333–379. Amherst, MA: GLSA Publications.![Google Scholar](https://benjamins.com/logos/google-scholar.svg)
McMahon, April. 2000. Lexical Phonology and the History of English. Cambridge: CUP. ![DOI logo](https://benjamins.com/logos/doi-logo.svg)
![Google Scholar](https://benjamins.com/logos/google-scholar.svg)
McCarthy, John & Alan Prince 1995. Faithfulness and Reduplicative Identity. In University of Massachusetts Occasional Papers in LInguisticsJill Beckman, Laura Walsh-Dickey, & Suzanne Urbanczyk (eds.) 18: 249–384. Amherst, MA: GLSA Publications.![Google Scholar](https://benjamins.com/logos/google-scholar.svg)
Pater, Joe. 2000. Nonuniformity in English stress: The role of ranked and lexically specific constraints. Phonology 17: 237-74. ![DOI logo](https://benjamins.com/logos/doi-logo.svg)
![Google Scholar](https://benjamins.com/logos/google-scholar.svg)
Pater, Joe. 2006. The locus of exceptionality: Morpheme-specific phonology as constraint indexation.
UMOP 32 – Papers in Optimality Theory III
. Amherst MA: GLSA.
Pater, Joe. 2009. Morpheme-specific phonology: Constraint indexation and inconsistency resolution. In Phonological Argumentation. Essays on Evidence and Motivation, Steve Parker (ed.), 123-154. London: Equinox.![Google Scholar](https://benjamins.com/logos/google-scholar.svg)
Prince, Alan & Tesar, Bruce. 2004. Learning phonotactic distributions. In Constraints in Phonological Acquisition, René Kager, Joe Pater & Wim Zonneveld (eds), 245-291. Cambridge: CUP.![Google Scholar](https://benjamins.com/logos/google-scholar.svg)
Smith, Neil V. 1973. The Acquisition of Phonology: A Case Study. Cambridge: CUP.![Google Scholar](https://benjamins.com/logos/google-scholar.svg)
Smolensky, Paul. 2006. Optimality in phonology, II: Harmonic completeness, local constraint conjunction, and feature domain markedness. In The Harmonic Mind: From Neural Computation to Optimality Theoretic Grammar, Vol. 2: Linguistic and Philosophical Implications, Paul Smolensky & Géraldine Legendre (eds), 27-160. Cambridge MA: The MIT Press.![Google Scholar](https://benjamins.com/logos/google-scholar.svg)
Tekavčić, Pavao. 1980. Grammatica storica dell’italiano in: Fonematica. Bologna: Il Mulino.![Google Scholar](https://benjamins.com/logos/google-scholar.svg)
Tesar, Bruce. 1997. Multi-Recursive Constraint Demotion. Ms, Rutgers University.![Google Scholar](https://benjamins.com/logos/google-scholar.svg)
Tesar, Bruce & Smolensky, Paul. 2000. Learnability in Optimality Theory. Cambridge MA: The MIT Press.![Google Scholar](https://benjamins.com/logos/google-scholar.svg)
Vincent, Nigel. 1988. Latin. In The Romance Languages, Martin Harris & Nigel Vincent (eds), 26-78. New York NY: Routledge.![Google Scholar](https://benjamins.com/logos/google-scholar.svg)