Transcript Natural Phonology and Beats-&

Natural Phonology
and Beats-&-Binding
Phonotactics
Katarzyna Dziubalska-Kołaczyk
School of English
Adam Mickiewicz University, Poznań
[email protected]
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Katarzyna Dziubalska-Kołaczyk
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Outline of the talk
1.
2.
3.
4.
Natural Phonology
Natural Linguistics
Beats-&-Binding Phonology
Phonotactics (and morphonotactics) in
B&B Phonology
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Natural Phonology: intro
• as all theories, Natural Phonology has evolved
and changed over the years since its inception
in the 1960s and 1970s
• the type of explanation offered NP originated in
a variety of phonetic and phonological studies of
the 19th and 20th century (Sweet, Sievers,
Winteler, Passy, Jespersen, Kruszewski,
Baudouin, Grammont, Fouché, Sapir, Jakobson)
• NP was founded by David Stampe (1969, 1973)
and expounded by Patricia Donegan and David
Stampe (1979)
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Natural Phonology: intro
• basic thesis was that phonological
systems are phonetically motivated
• NP was proposed as an alternative to both
structural and generative approaches to
phonology
• Natural Linguistics - starting with Dressler
(1984) and followers
• Modern Natural Phonology (MNP) functional and semiotic foundation
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phonological processes
• natural responses of the human vocal and
perceptual systems to the difficulties encountered
in the production and perception of speech; e.g.,
• it is more difficult to:
• on aerodynamic grounds, produce a voiced stop than a
voiceless one
• a voiced velar stop than an alveolar one (a bilabial one
is the easiest)
• perceive the sequences [] and [] than the
sequences [] and [], due to the insufficient
perceptual contrast, which in turn stems from
articulatory similarity
• it is easier to perceive lower than higher vowels
due to the greater perceptual salience of the
former
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phonological processes
• phonetically motivated
• universal: a child learns to inhibit some of
those natural responses in order to arrive
at a language-specific phonology
• tension between two conflicting criteria:
ease of production vs. clarity of perception
• a conflict between paradigmatic
(segmental) and syntagmatic (sequential)
difficulty
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phonological processes
• processes perform substitutions in order to
adapt the speaker's phonological intentions to
his/her phonetic capacities as well as enable the
listener to decode the intentions from the flow of
speech
• context-sensitive, assimilatory substitutions: lenitions
• context-free, dissimilatory ones: fortitions
• prosodic processes map segmental material on
rhythmic patterns prior to the operation of articulatorily
and perceptually driven substitutions
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processes vs. rules
• morphonological rules do not have any
synchronic phonetic motivation and have to be
learned
• morphonological alternations always involve
phonemes, e.g., /k/ and /s/ in electric ~
electricity, umlaut in German (processes operate
on features)
• the order of application:
rules > prosodic processes > fortitions > lenitions
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processes vs. rules
Processes
Rules
synchronic phonetic motivation
semantic, grammatical function
innate
learned
apply unconsciously
formed through observation
exceptionless
tolerate exceptions
apply to slips, Pig Latins, do not
foreign words
obligatory or optional
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obligatory (conventional, styleindependent)
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the phoneme
• an underlying intention (cf. Baudouin and Sapir)
shared by the speaker and the listener (who are
always "two in one")
• the shared knowledge of intentions guarantees
communication between the speaker and the
listener within a language, even if the actually
pronounced forms diverge from what is
intended, e.g., in casual speech
• phonemes are fully specified, pronounceable
percepts
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the principle of naturalness
• ”The principle of naturalness allows one to
establish a possible phonological
representation: if a given utterance is
naturally pronounceable as the result of a
certain intention, then that intention is a
natural perception of the utterance (i.e. a
possible phonological representation).”
(Donegan and Stampe 1979:163)
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processes account for:
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
normal performance
child language
second language acquisition
aphasia and other types of disorders
casual speech, emphatic speech
slips, errors, language games
whispered and silent speech
sound change
implicational universals by substituting the
implying sound by the implied one (e.g.
fricativestop)
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processes…
• naturally pronunceable in Natural
Phonology means derivable by
means of phonological processes
• the task of Natural Phonology is a
constant search for processes in the
languages of the world
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functionalism
Natural Linguistics
• predictions and explanations are functionalist and
semiotic in nature
• one can, to some extent, predict form on the basis of its
function, but
• multifunctionality of forms across languages
• e.g., vowel epenthesis in a cluster of consonants serves
both the speaker and the listener, since it facilitates
production and clarifies perception
• production of a cluster may be also facilitated by
assimilation, deletion or even metathesis
• the latter processes would not improve perception,
though, since they would lower the recoverability of the
original
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semiotics
• semiotics - a metatheory for linguistics
• allows to link linguistics with other
disciplines in which signs are also the
subject of investigation, and in this way
better capture and explain linguistic
phenomena
• criteria of transparency, iconicity,
diagramaticity, indexicality and
biuniqueness
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preferences
• generalizing statements have the status of
universal or language-specific preferences and
not absolute rules or laws
• a gradual differentiation of forms along a
preference scale specified according to a
complex set of relevant criteria
• preference implies a human agent, i.e. (some)
control of language by the selves of the
speakers, reflecting behavioural strategies
preferred by them (cf. functional explanation)
• Natural Linguistics is, thus, a preference theory
rather than a general descriptive theory
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external evidence
• external linguistic evidence is regarded as
substantive
• performance data, such as e.g. casual speech,
speech of young children or speech of second
language learners, provides evidence for the
structure of the speaker’s competence
• both internal linguistic evidence (grammaticality
judgements, conscious and subconscious) and
external evidence
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Dressler’s quintiple
Universals I
Performance V
Norm IV
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Type II
Competence III
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The explanatory model of Natural Linguistics
higher
principles
(e.g., the principle of the least effort,
of cognitive economy)
non-linguistic
(cognitive, phonetic, psychological,
sociological etc)
preferences
(e.g., a preference for simple
phonotactics, for a CV structure)
linguistic
preference parameters
(pronunceability, perceptibility)
functional and semiotic
consequences
linguistic
of preferences
(absence
of clusters in a language)
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The explanatory model of Natural Linguistics:
exposition
• linguistic principles have a non-linguistic basis
• they lead to explanatory preferences, referring
linguistic phenomena holistically to "the nature of
things" and "the knowledge of the world”
• within language, preferences of performance
become preferences of structure
• conflicts among preferences are resolved for the
benefit of the more natural solution
• conditioning factors influencing such resolutions
are highly complex
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explanatory model
• conflicts may be solved either with respect
to universal preferences (i.e. the ones
which all languages respect on some level
of usage)
• or with respect to typological preferences
(for the benefit of a given language type)
• or with respect to language-specific, local
preferences (for the benefit of a given
language system)
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NP & NL in modern research
• it is no longer true to say that “natural phonology (...)
lacks any a priori methodology or formalization”
(Donegan and Stampe 1979: 168)
• e.g. Beats-and-Binding Phonology - B&B Phonology
(Dziubalska-Kołaczyk 2002)
• cross-framework discussion:
• with Optimality Theory, cf. Donegan 2001 and other papers in
Dziubalska-Kołaczyk (ed.) 2001
• with Government Phonology, cf. the same source as well as the
abstracts to the workshop on GP and NP, PLM 2003, especially
Scheer 2003, and Dziubalska-Kołaczyk, Cyran, Gussmann,
Dressler
• workshops/sessions (PLMs, ICPhS 2007, SLE 2008)
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NP & NL in modern research
NP responds to:
• increasing scope of external evidence in:
psycholinguistics, acquisition of first and
second language, neurolinguistics, speech
technology and, indeed, phonetics
• interdisciplinary, holistic demands of
modern research
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Beats-&-Binding Phonology
Beats-&-Binding Phonology (DziubalskaKołaczyk 2002) – a syllable-less theory of
phonology embedded in Natural
Phonology
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a beat
• in B&B phonology, the unit called beat is proposed
• a beat is a unit rather than a measurement or
device & it needs some referent in phonetic reality
• it is expected to be better accessible than the
mora, on the one hand, and the syllable, on the
other
• its functioning in phonology in relationships with
other units of structure called non-beats (these
relationships are called bindings) is expected to
account better for the structure than the
functioning of mora or syllable
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a beat
• a beat is a regularly recurring skeletal prosodic
unit of phonological representation, of a size
corresponding to that of a segment
• the most basic organizational principle of a
sequence is the alternation of beats (which are
relatively more prominent) and non-beats (which
are relatively less prominent)
• beats and non-beats have direct phonetic
correlates both in production and in perception
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universal preferences involving beats
• preferences which specify the patterning,
strength and realization of beats in a
sequence:
– preference for a trochee
– preference for the vocalic beat
– preference for the alternation between beats
and non-beats
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bindings
• beats (B) and non-beats (n) in a sequence
are joined by means of bindings
• bindings in a sequence are binary
• sound sequences are combinations of two
basic binary bindings: nB and Bn
(and, possibly, single beats)
• the principle of contrast: bindings are
perceptually motivated
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bindings
• nB is stronger than Bn
• cf. the CV-preference
• an acoustic phonetic basis for the preference
consists in the observation that acoustic
modulations in a consonant-vowel transition can
be much better perceived than in a vowelconsonant one
• also articulatory factors contribute to a better
perception of CV's (more precise articulations in
a CV transition)
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bindings
• a subjective perceptual measure of contrast between a
beat and a non-beat is constituted by sonority
• beats are uniformly more sonorous than non-beats
• in objective terms, it is the degree of modulation [1] in
several acoustic parameters (amplitude, periodicity,
spectral shape, F0) that decides whether an nB
binding is actually realized as stronger than a Bn one
• actual auditory distances between segments become
relevant for phonotactics
[1] as Ohala (1990) notices, larger modulations have
more survival value than lesser ones and therefore will
persist in languages
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B&B phonotactics
• a universal model of phonotactics within
B&B Phonology
• intersegmental cohesion determines
syllable structure, rather than being
determined by it (if one insists on the
notion of the ”syllable”)
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B&B phonotactics
 the phonotactic preferences specify the universally
required distances between segments within clusters
which guarantee, if respected, preservation of clusters
(cf. intersegmental cohesion)
 clusters, in order to survive, must be sustained by some
force counteracting the overwhelming tendency to
reduce towards CV's (CV preference)
 this force is a perceptual contrast defined as NAD
Principle (cf. Dziubalska-Kołaczyk 2002, 2003, Dressler
& Dziubalska-Kołaczyk 2007, in press, DziubalskaKołaczyk & Krynicki 2007, Bertinetto et al. 2007)
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B&B phonotactics
NAD Principle
 the universal preferences specify the optimal
shape of a particular cluster in a given position
by referring to the
Net Auditory Distance Principle (NAD Principle)
NAD = |MOA| + |POA| + |Lx|
 whereby MOA, POA and LX are the absolute
values of differences in the Manner of
Articulation, Place of Articulation and Voicing of
the neighbouring sounds respectively
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NAD Principle
Example:
NAD (C1,C2) ≥ NAD (C2,V)
In word-initial double clusters, the net
auditory distance (NAD) between the two
consonants should be greater than or
equal to the net auditory distance between
a vowel and a consonant neighbouring on
it.
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• The distances in terms of manner and place of
articulation are calculated on the basis of the table
below.
• The manners and places assumed in the table are
selected according to their potential relevance:
– 6 manners (stop, affricate, fricative, sonorant stop,
approximant, semivowel) where affricates and semivowels
are attributed half a distance due to their dubious nature, and
– 5 places (labial, coronal, dorsal, radical and laryngeal or
glottal).
• Manners refer to the most generally acknowledged
version of the so called sonority scale, while places
are taken from Ladefoged (2001: 258).
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• Both lists are extendible and modifiable, depending
on the amount of detail we want to include in the
definition of distance.
• In fact, one would need to investigate from the
auditory perspective as many acoustic/articulatory
cues as possible which potentially contribute to the
overall perceptual impression brought about by
phonotactic sequences.
• This, however, is a wider research perspective
reserved for the future investigation. In the present
research and for the purposes of the present data,
the assumption has been made as described above
and in the table.
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Table of consonants
4
3
2
obstruent
stop
fricative
sonorant stop






















0
approximant
semiV
V
sonorant
affrica
te

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1


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
labial
1
coronal
2
dorsal
3
radical
4
laryngeal
(glottal)
5
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NAD Principle
 consider the preference for initial double clusters

NAD (C1,C2) ≥ NAD (C2,V)
 let us now define two Net Auditory Distances
between the sounds (C1, C2) and (C2, V) where
 C1
 C2
V
(MOA1, POA1, Lx1)
(MOA2, POA2, Lx2)
(MOA3, Lx3)
 in terms of the following metric for (C1, C2) cluster

|MOA1 - MOA2| + |POA1 - POA2| + |Lx1 - Lx2|

|MOA2 – MOA3| + |Lx2 – Lx3|
&
 for (C2, V) cluster
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NAD Principle
Example:
in CCV in E. try
t = (4, 2, 0), r = (1, 2, 1), V = (0, 0, 1)
NAD (C1, C2) = |4-1| + |2-2| + |0-1| = 3+0+1=4
NAD (C2, V) = |1-0| + |1-1| = 1+0=1
thus, the preference
NAD (C1,C2) ≥ NAD (C2,V)
is observed because 4 > 1
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NAD Principle makes finer predictions
than the ones based exclusively on
sonority
e.g., it shows that among stop+liquid initial
clusters, prV and krV > trV, brV, grV > drV,
etc. (since their NAD’s are respectively: 5
> 4 > 3)
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NAD Principle
the universal NAD Principle leads to
predictions about language-specific
phonotactics, its acquisition and change
specifically, it also allows to predict and
explain the order of difficulty in the
acquisition of second language
phonotactics which appears to be
universally valid and as such calls for
similar remedies across languages
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• e.g., if one compares the frequent English and
Polish clusters, one can observe that among the
English ones many more clusters are universally
preferred (i.e. they observe the respective
preference for initial doubles discussed above)
• a Polish learner of English is therefore expected
to have fewer difficulties in the acquisition of
those clusters than an English learner of Polish
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English frequent initial doubles
according to NAD Principle
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Selected Polish clusters according
to NAD Principle
Cluster types in Polish acc. to NAD
12
10
8
4
6
1
4
5
2
3
1
0
3
0
3
4
4
4
3
3
3
0
4
4
4
3
2
2
2
-1
-1
-2
-2
-2
rd
fk
-2
-4
pr
fr
lv
mʂ
MOA+POA+Lx
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C2V
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mb ʂk
sk
NAD
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phonotactic calculator
for the purposes of B&B phonotactics,
Krynicki developed the phonotactic
calculator
its purpose is to enable fine-tuning and
developing the theory by statistical
analysis of phonetic dictionaries and
phonetically annotated corpora from
various languages
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phonotactic calculator - requirements
 various cluster lengths at all word positions
 formulating phonotactic hypotheses
 feedback on predictability of a phonotactic hypothesis
 choice or customization of
 available phone sets, features of each phone and
scores for each feature
 available phonetic dictionaries and languages
(PolSynt, Festvox, Festival)
 metrics used for calculating distances between
phones (taxicab, euclidean)
 accepted phonetic alphabets (IPA, SAMPA)
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B&B phonotactics in the NL theory
• the higher, non-linguistic principles involved here
are:
– the cognitive principle of least effort (it is less effortful
to produce a single consonant than a cluster; the
effort is better managed when a produced cluster is
well perceived)
– the semiotic principle of figure and ground (the
contrast between a single consonant and a vowel is a
better figure-against-ground structure than a cluster)
– the phonetic principle of alternation (louder/quieter
sounds, jaw movements, cf. Maddieson 1999)
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B&B phonotactics in the NL theory
• the linguistic CV-preference is derivable
directly from phonetics as well as from the
other two principles
• a universal preference for a cluster is then
defined with reference to the CVpreference (i.e. it necessarily needs to
counteract it)
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B&B phonotactics in the NL theory
• the functional parameter used to measure
the phonotactic preferences is that of
perceptibility, i.e. perceptual distance
measured in MOA (manner of articulation),
POA (place of articulation) and Lx (voicing)
• it is perceptibility rather than
pronunceability since phonotactics is
prelexical
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B&B phonotactics in the NL theory
• the linguistic consequence of the universal
phonotactics is:
– a typological absence of clusters (70 percent
of languages do not have them)
– a typological occurrence of preferred clusters
– as well as universal and language-specific
processes reducing dispreferred clusters (in
diachrony, acquisition, phonostylistics, speech
pathology, etc)
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morphonotactics
• semiotic metatheory of Natural Linguistics
situates morphology as prior to phonology;
thus, a morphological function may override a
phonological one
• in the case of phonotactics, signaling a
morphological boundary may override a
phonologically driven phonotactic preference
and, consequently, lead to the creation of a
marked cluster
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morphonotactics
• therefore, one expects relatively marked clusters
across morpheme boundaries and relatively
unmarked ones within morphemes (cf. Dressler
& Dziubalska-Kołaczyk 2006)
• language specific morphonotactics provides thus
an additional parameter constraining the actual
outcome of universal phonotactic preferences;
this is an example of the holistic non-isolationist
view on language represented by Natural
Linguistics
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morphonotactics
• morphonotactics is the area of interaction
between morphotactics and phonotactics
(cf. Dressler & Dziubalska-Kołaczyk 2006)
and represents a subfield of morphonology
(cf. Dressler 1985, 1996)
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Conclusion
• explanations in Natural Linguistics stem
from universal principles of human
existence and interaction with nature, in
which human language plays an essential
part
• since both language and the setting are
complex, explanations are necessarily
holistic and take the form of preferences
and not absolute laws
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Bibliography on Natural Phonology:
background and overview
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Donegan, Patricia & David Stampe. 1979. The study of Natural
Phonology. In Dinnsen, D.A. (ed.). Current Approaches to Phonological
Theory. Bloomington: IUP. 126-173.
Dressler, Wolfgang.U. 1985. Explaining Natural Phonology. Phonology
Yearbook 1. 29-50.
Dressler, Wolfgang.U. 1996. Principles of naturalness in phonology and
across components. In Hurch & Rhodes (eds.) Natural Phonology: The
State of the Art. Berlin: Mouton de Gruyter. 41-52.
Dziubalska-Kołaczyk, Katarzyna. 2002. Beats-and-Binding Phonology.
Frankfurt: Peter Lang.
Dziubalska-Kołaczyk, Katarzyna. 2002. Challenges for Natural Linguistics in
the twenty first century: a personal view. In University of Hawai`i Working
Papers in Linguistics, Vol 23 (2001-2002).15-39. Honolulu: University of
Hawai`i at Mānoa. and in Dziubalska-Kołaczyk & Weckwerth (eds.).
Stampe, David. 1969. The acquisition of phonetic representation.
Bloomington: Indiana University Linguistics Club (1979).
Stampe, David. 1979. A Dissertation on Natural Phonology. Bloomington:
IULC.
Vienna, 31.03.08
Katarzyna Dziubalska-Kołaczyk
58