Summary One of the most interesting problems in second-language (L2) phonology is how to account for differential substitution. This is the phenomenon by which speakers who lack a certain segment (sequence) in their first language (L1) may adopt alternative language-specific replacement strategies… read more
SUMMARY It has long been recognized that there are two basic types of sound change: phonetic change, which is intrinsically regular, and analogical change, which is basically irregular. In addition, it has been argued by Witold Manczak that in any language, about one third of the words manifest an… read more
In recent years, it has been proposed, notably by Vennemann and Murray, that the direction of sound change can be predicted in terms of a set of syllable-structure preference laws which are based on the notion of consonantal strength. This paper attempts to show how problematic such an approach… read more
SUMMARY It has long been acknowledged that most types of sound change are intrinsically regular, and that their occasional failure to apply across the board can usually be ascribed to sundry extralinguistic forces. Just as well known is the fact that certain types of phonological processes are… read more