In search of phonotactic preferences

Abstract

The objective of this contribution is to provide an analysis of consonant clusters based on the assumption that phonotactic preferences are encoded in phonological features of individual segments forming a cluster. This encoding is expressed by a set of parameters established for the following features: complexity, place of articulation, manner of articulation and voicing. On the basis of empirically observed tendencies of feature distribution and co-occurrence, novel phonotactic preferences for English word-initial consonant clusters are proposed. Statistical methods allow us to weigh the preferences and determine a ranking of phonological features in cluster formation.

Exponents of sonority in Slavic and Germanic languages

“…Therefore, the present contribution aims at decomposing sonority into constituent parameters, which provide more detailed insights into cluster structure. The idea goes in line with previous contribution [16,17,18], suggesting that specific parameters of place, manner and voice affect cluster structure to varying degrees, resulting in disproportionate cross-linguistic phonotactic variability. The analysis is based on large sets of word-onset clusters varying in length from CC to CCCC in Polish, Russian, English and German.…”

“…The higher the value, the greater the weight of a parameter, and the greater its discriminatory power. Since the loadings are relatively low, in line with [16] parameters reaching a threshold ≥0.4 in Comp1 are used for data interpretation. 42 28 Voice agreement 8 17.…”

“…Similar results were obtained for English. In a theoretical statistically-based analysis of initial clusters, [16] suggested that, similarly to German, the manner of articulation and voice features have the greatest statistical weight, i.e. play a crucial role in cluster discrimination.…”

“…The objective of this paper is to propose a statistically-based description of phonotactics in Slavic and Germanic. Cluster lists are described in terms of eight parameters (P) drawn from previous contributions [16,17,18]. Here, emphasis is placed only on those parameters that can be viewed as core exponents of sonority, accounting for the manner of articulation and voicing.…”

Structural Principles or Frequency of Use? An ERP Experiment on the Learnability of Consonant Clusters

“…Secondly, the higher degree of phonotactic complexity for Polish, with numerous violations of the sonority principle is expected to provide insights into similarities and differences in the processing of the same set of non-existent clusters. A cross-linguistic study by Orzechowska and Wiese (2015) has shown that various phonotactic restrictions (e.g., place of articulation, manner of articulation, voice or length) display a different weight (for a discussion on cluster structure in terms of feature weight and ranking, see Orzechowska, 2016): sonority was demonstrated to play a much lesser role in existing Polish clusters than in German clusters. This observation raises the question whether sonority plays any role at all in the phonological processing of words for speakers of Polish.…”