The Phonological Enterprise
Feb 2008 · OUP Oxford
Ebook
304
Pages
family_home
Eligible
info
reportRatings and reviews aren’t verified Learn More
About this ebook
This book scrutinizes recent work in phonological theory from the perspective of Chomskyan generative linguistics and argues that progress in the field depends on taking seriously the idea that phonology is best studied as a mental computational system derived from an innate base, phonological Universal Grammar. Two simple problems of phonological analysis provide a frame for a variety of topics throughout the book. The competence-performance distinction and markedness theory are both addressed in some detail, especially with reference to phonological acquisition. Several aspects of Optimality Theory, including the use of Output-Output Correspondence, functionalist argumentation and dependence on typological justification are critiqued. The authors draw on their expertise in historical linguistics to argue that diachronic evidence is often mis-used to bolster phonological arguments, and they present a vision of the proper use of such evidence. Issues of general interest for cognitive scientists, such as whether categories are discrete and whether mental computation is probabilistic are also addressed. The book ends with concrete proposals to guide future phonological research. The breadth and depth of the discussion, ranging from details of current analyses to the philosophical underpinnings of linguistic science, is presented in a direct style with as little recourse to technical language as possible.
About the author
Mark Hale is Professor and Charles Reiss is Associate Professors of Linguistics at Concordia University, Montreal. Mark Hale is the author of Historical Linguistics: Theory and Method (Blackwell, 2007). His research interests include historical linguistics, especially the Oceanic and Indo-European families, phonological and syntactic theory and language acquisition. Charles Reiss is interested in phonology and general linguistics, and the place of linguistics in cognitive science. He is the co-editor with Gillian Ramchand of The Oxford Handbook of Linguistic Interfaces (OUP, 2007) and author, with Daniela Isac, of I-Language: An Introduction to Linguistics as Cognitive Science (OUP, forthcoming 2008).
Rate this ebook
Tell us what you think.
Reading information
Smartphones and tablets
Install the Google Play Books app for Android and iPad/iPhone. It syncs automatically with your account and allows you to read online or offline wherever you are.
Laptops and computers
You can listen to audiobooks purchased on Google Play using your computer's web browser.
eReaders and other devices
To read on e-ink devices like Kobo eReaders, you'll need to download a file and transfer it to your device. Follow the detailed Help Center instructions to transfer the files to supported eReaders.
