Prevocalic velar advancement in Chilean Spanish and Proto-Romance
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Carolina González
Abstract
This paper examines various instances of prevocalic advancement in Chilean Spanish and Proto-Romance. It proposes that velar fronting is driven by the feature [−back] (Calabrese 2005), while [+front] is involved in palatalization. When both features are involved concurrently, palatalization occurs in one step, as in Chilean Spanish. The analysis is formalized in Optimality Theory as the interaction of featural identity constraints for vocoids and non-vocoids (Faith-V, Faith-C) with agreement constraints specified for advancement (Agree [−back], Agree [+front]). The analysis assumes that diachronically, a stage of palatalization occurred between velar fronting and the emergence of palato-alveolar affricates. Both of these stages are motivated by increased coarticulation of velars to adjacent front vocoids. A later stage of coronalization is explained through the rise of a dispreference against palatals for articulatory, aerodynamic and perceptual reasons. This analysis also accounts for the restriction of palatalization to diphthongal contexts in 1st century Proto-Romance.
Abstract
This paper examines various instances of prevocalic advancement in Chilean Spanish and Proto-Romance. It proposes that velar fronting is driven by the feature [−back] (Calabrese 2005), while [+front] is involved in palatalization. When both features are involved concurrently, palatalization occurs in one step, as in Chilean Spanish. The analysis is formalized in Optimality Theory as the interaction of featural identity constraints for vocoids and non-vocoids (Faith-V, Faith-C) with agreement constraints specified for advancement (Agree [−back], Agree [+front]). The analysis assumes that diachronically, a stage of palatalization occurred between velar fronting and the emergence of palato-alveolar affricates. Both of these stages are motivated by increased coarticulation of velars to adjacent front vocoids. A later stage of coronalization is explained through the rise of a dispreference against palatals for articulatory, aerodynamic and perceptual reasons. This analysis also accounts for the restriction of palatalization to diphthongal contexts in 1st century Proto-Romance.
Chapters in this book
- Prelim pages i
- Table of contents v
- Foreword and Acknowledgments vii
- Editors’ introduction 1
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Part I. Sound patterns
- Sibilant voicing assimilation in peninsular Spanish as gestural blending 17
- Phonology-morphology opacity in Harmonic Serialism 39
- Morphologically conditioned intervocalic rhotacism in Algherese Catalan 63
- Muta cum liquida in the light of Tertenia Sardinian metathesis and compensatory lengthening Latin tr > Old French Vrr 77
- Schwa at the phonology/syntax interface 101
- Weight effects across verbal domains 119
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Part II. Syntax and semantics
- On truth persistence 135
- Pick some but not all alternatives! 155
- Polarity fronting in Romanian and Sardinian 173
- Degree quantification and scope in Puerto Rican Spanish 199
- ‘Minimal link constraint’ violations 213
- On subjunctives and islandhood 233
- When control can’t be a fact 255
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Part III. Historical aspects
- Prevocalic velar advancement in Chilean Spanish and Proto-Romance 277
- The role of the copula in the diachronic development of focus constructions in Portuguese 297
- The French wh interrogative system 315
- On the relation between functional architecture and patterns of change in Romance object clitic syntax 331
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Part IV. Interactions across dialects and languages
- Investigating the effects of perceptual salience and regional dialect on phonetic accommodation in Spanish 351
- English questions, Spanish structure 379
- French oral proficiency assessment 401
- Name index 417
- Subject index 423
Chapters in this book
- Prelim pages i
- Table of contents v
- Foreword and Acknowledgments vii
- Editors’ introduction 1
-
Part I. Sound patterns
- Sibilant voicing assimilation in peninsular Spanish as gestural blending 17
- Phonology-morphology opacity in Harmonic Serialism 39
- Morphologically conditioned intervocalic rhotacism in Algherese Catalan 63
- Muta cum liquida in the light of Tertenia Sardinian metathesis and compensatory lengthening Latin tr > Old French Vrr 77
- Schwa at the phonology/syntax interface 101
- Weight effects across verbal domains 119
-
Part II. Syntax and semantics
- On truth persistence 135
- Pick some but not all alternatives! 155
- Polarity fronting in Romanian and Sardinian 173
- Degree quantification and scope in Puerto Rican Spanish 199
- ‘Minimal link constraint’ violations 213
- On subjunctives and islandhood 233
- When control can’t be a fact 255
-
Part III. Historical aspects
- Prevocalic velar advancement in Chilean Spanish and Proto-Romance 277
- The role of the copula in the diachronic development of focus constructions in Portuguese 297
- The French wh interrogative system 315
- On the relation between functional architecture and patterns of change in Romance object clitic syntax 331
-
Part IV. Interactions across dialects and languages
- Investigating the effects of perceptual salience and regional dialect on phonetic accommodation in Spanish 351
- English questions, Spanish structure 379
- French oral proficiency assessment 401
- Name index 417
- Subject index 423
