Russian intervocalic deletion in Derivational Optimality Theory
-
Janina Mołczanow
Abstract
The article addresses issues connected with the deletion of the glide j in intervocalic contexts and the distribution of the sequences ji and ij in Russian. It has been assumed in generative phonology that the surface distinction between glides and vowels is not encoded in the lexicon, but, rather, is a result of syllabification rules, which ensure that the underlying high vowel is realised as a glide in syllable margins. At first glance, it appears that Russian glides eschew such an analysis, as both [ij] and [ji] sequences are found on the surface and it is unclear which underlying //i// should be turned into a glide. However, the present paper demonstrates that the distribution of high vowel i and the glide j is systematic and there is no need to prespecify j in the lexicon. The basic generalisation is that both the occurrence of the glide in onset or coda position and the deletion of the glide intervocalically are conditioned by the presence of an underlying fleeting vowel, the so-called yer.
© School of English, Adam Mickiewicz University, Poznań, Poland, 2012
Articles in the same Issue
- The expressions of spatial relations during interaction in American Sign Language, Croatian Sign Language, and Turkish Sign Language
- Linguistic-phonetic characteristics of cluttering across different speaking styles: a pilot study from Hungarian
- Revisiting the thetic/categorical distinction in Japanese
- Structural and lexical aspects of the grammar of desinences
- Russian intervocalic deletion in Derivational Optimality Theory
- Natural Syntax of English: transitivity
- Reconsidering the role of practice in foreign language teaching and learning
- Review of Siever, Torsten: Texte i. d. Enge. Sprachökonomische Reduktion in stark raumbegrenzten Textsorten
- Review of Chruszczewski, Piotr: Językoznawstwo antropologiczne: Zadania i metody
- Review of Arabski, Janusz and Adam Wojtaszek (eds.): The acquisition of L2 phonology
Articles in the same Issue
- The expressions of spatial relations during interaction in American Sign Language, Croatian Sign Language, and Turkish Sign Language
- Linguistic-phonetic characteristics of cluttering across different speaking styles: a pilot study from Hungarian
- Revisiting the thetic/categorical distinction in Japanese
- Structural and lexical aspects of the grammar of desinences
- Russian intervocalic deletion in Derivational Optimality Theory
- Natural Syntax of English: transitivity
- Reconsidering the role of practice in foreign language teaching and learning
- Review of Siever, Torsten: Texte i. d. Enge. Sprachökonomische Reduktion in stark raumbegrenzten Textsorten
- Review of Chruszczewski, Piotr: Językoznawstwo antropologiczne: Zadania i metody
- Review of Arabski, Janusz and Adam Wojtaszek (eds.): The acquisition of L2 phonology
