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Chapter 8. Are there brain bases for phonological markedness?

Abstract

Pursuing the question of whether there are brain bases for phonological markedness necessitates an empirical and testable approach. This approach – put forward in this chapter – is couched in a theory of phonological feature specification and tested with brain imaging methods, with an emphasis on electrophysiology, encompassing electro- and magnetoencephalographic experiments. After sketching the theoretical background and introducing the basics of the reported brain measures, the chapter contains a review of some electrophysiological findings with their re-interpretation from the point of view of phonological markedness. Furthermore, the feature-approach is contrasted with a proposed reduction of phonological markedness to frequency-of-occurrence relations. Altogether, the review provides some important suggestions and starting points for further looking into the neurobiological reality of phonological markedness.

Abstract

Pursuing the question of whether there are brain bases for phonological markedness necessitates an empirical and testable approach. This approach – put forward in this chapter – is couched in a theory of phonological feature specification and tested with brain imaging methods, with an emphasis on electrophysiology, encompassing electro- and magnetoencephalographic experiments. After sketching the theoretical background and introducing the basics of the reported brain measures, the chapter contains a review of some electrophysiological findings with their re-interpretation from the point of view of phonological markedness. Furthermore, the feature-approach is contrasted with a proposed reduction of phonological markedness to frequency-of-occurrence relations. Altogether, the review provides some important suggestions and starting points for further looking into the neurobiological reality of phonological markedness.

Chapters in this book

  1. Prelim pages i
  2. Table of contents v
  3. Acknowledgments vii
  4. Introduction ix
  5. Chapter 1. Markedness in substance-free and substance-dependent phonology 1
  6. Chapter 2. Contrast is irrelevant in phonology 23
  7. Chapter 3. What are grammars made of? 47
  8. Chapter 4. Consonant epenthesis and markedness 69
  9. Chapter 5. On silent markedness 101
  10. Chapter 6. The phonetic salience of phonological head-dependent structure in a modulated-carrier model of speech 121
  11. Chapter 7. Markedness and formalising phonological representations 153
  12. Chapter 8. Are there brain bases for phonological markedness? 191
  13. Chapter 9. There is no place for markedness in biologically-informed phonology 219
  14. Index 233
Beyond Markedness in Formal Phonology
This chapter is in the book Beyond Markedness in Formal Phonology
https://doi.org/10.1075/la.241.08sch

Chapters in this book

  1. Prelim pages i
  2. Table of contents v
  3. Acknowledgments vii
  4. Introduction ix
  5. Chapter 1. Markedness in substance-free and substance-dependent phonology 1
  6. Chapter 2. Contrast is irrelevant in phonology 23
  7. Chapter 3. What are grammars made of? 47
  8. Chapter 4. Consonant epenthesis and markedness 69
  9. Chapter 5. On silent markedness 101
  10. Chapter 6. The phonetic salience of phonological head-dependent structure in a modulated-carrier model of speech 121
  11. Chapter 7. Markedness and formalising phonological representations 153
  12. Chapter 8. Are there brain bases for phonological markedness? 191
  13. Chapter 9. There is no place for markedness in biologically-informed phonology 219
  14. Index 233
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