Optimality Theory explains phonological typology and cross-linguistic constraints that rule-based phonology cannot

Listeners' knowledge of phonological universals: Evidence from nasal clusters.. 2009. https://doi.org/10.1017/s0952675709001729

Optimality Theory explains typological markedness implications by proposing that all speakers possess universal constraints penalizing marked structure, irrespective of the evidence provided by their language (Prince & Smolensky, 1993/2004). An account of phonological perception sketched here entails that markedness constraints reveal their presence by inducing perceptual 'repairs' to structures ungrammatical in the hearer's language. As onset clusters of falling sonority are typologically marked relative to those of rising sonority (Greenberg, 1978), we examine English speakers' perception of nasal-initial clusters-lacking in English. We find greater accuracy for rising-sonority clusters, evidencing knowledge of markedness constraints favoring such onset clusters. The misperception of sonority falls cannot be accounted for by stimulus artifacts (the materials are perceived accurately by speakers of Russian-a language allowing nasal-initial clusters) nor by phonetic failure (English speakers misperceive falls even with printed materials) nor by putative relations of such onsets to the statistics of the English lexicon. English Français Phonology Article contents Abstract References Listeners' knowledge of phonological universals: evidence from nasal clusters * Published online by Cambridge University Press: 29 June 2009 Iris Berent , Tracy Lennertz , Paul Smolensky and Vered Vaknin-Nusbaum Show author details Iris Berent Affiliation: Northeastern University Tracy Lennertz Affiliation: Northeastern University Paul Smolensky Affiliation: Johns Hopkins University Vered Vaknin-Nusbaum Affiliation: University of Haifa and The Western Galilee College Article Supplementary materials Metrics Article contents Abstract References Get access Share Cite Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window] Abstract Optimality Theory explains typological markedness implications by proposing that all speakers possess universal constraints penalising marked structures, irrespective of the evidence provided by their language (Prince & Smolensky 2004 ). PhD dissertation, University of Amsterdam. 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