Lecture 7

1. Lecture 7 Syllable Weight

2. English Word Stress • The account of English stress presented so far only works for a subset of nouns/suffixed adjectives and verbs/unsuffixed adjectives. • This should not come as a surprise as the English stress system is renowned for its complexity. • We will continue investigation, focusing on the effect of syllable structure on stress assignment.

3. Basic Algorithm • English stress algorithm: a. Project syllable heads onto the baseline. b. Mark the right-most baseline asterisk extrametrical (in nouns and suffixed adjectives only). c. Construct line 1 by building left-headed feet iteratively from right to left. d. Construct line 2 by applying End Stress [Right] on line 1.

4. Parameter Settings • The algorithm suggests the following parameter settings, crucially assuming that lexical forms are bare of metrical structure: • English stress parameter settings: • Extrametricality: Yes [right] Nouns • Foot head: Left • Foot construction: Right-to-left • End stress: Right Onto line 1

5. Different Pattern • Consider the forms: nouns verbs/unsuffixed adjectives agénda (to) recomménd incéntive (to) incréase Octóber inténse • Stress falls one syllable further to the right than is predicted by the algorithm. • Why?

6. Applying the Algorithm • Incorporating Line Conflation, that suppresses all feet but the one bearing main stress, the derivations of stress assignment will be as follows: a g e n d a Input r e c o m mend

7. Projection * * * * * * a g e n d a r e c o m m e n d

8. Extrametricality * * <*> * * * a g e n d a r e c o m m e n d

9. Footing * * * (* *) <*> (*) (* *) a g e n d a r e c o m m e n d

10. End Stress * * * * * (* *) <*> (*) (* *) a g e n d a r e c o m m e n d

11. Conflation * * (* *) <*> * (* *) a g e n d a r e c o m m e n d

12. Outputs *á g e n d a *r e c ó m m e n d

13. Solutions • A noun like agenda can be treated as an exception to the extrametricality clause. - But, extrametricality does not act upon verbs like recommend. • These forms could be assigned right-headed feet, instead of the normal left-headed feet. - However, metrical structure is uniform across the board in each language.

14. Syllable Structure • Syllable structure plays a vital part in the construction of the metrical grid. a.gén.da in.cr[í:]se in.cén.tive re.co.mménd Oc.t[].ber in.tén.se • The stressed syllables are HEAVY. - long nucleus OR - coda

15. Rime Structure and Stressin English Rime Structure Stress Nouns Penultimate light Antepenultimate PenultimateheavyPenultimate Verbs Final light Penultimate FinalheavyFinal

16. ACCENT • The connection between the location of stress and the structure of the rime should be encoded in the grid. • Therefore, the baseline asterisks of heavy rimes are projected onto line 1. • The word ACCENT is commonly used to refer to this projection: * * * <*> * * <*> a . g e n . d a  a . g e n . d a  a . g e n . d a Input Baseline and Accent Extrametricality

17. Faithfulness Condition • Heads imply constituents and constituents imply heads: Faithfulness Condition Each grid constituent has a head (plotted in the line immediately above), and each head has a domain (delimited in the line immediately below). * Stress line 1 * * <*> * (*) <*> Baseline a . g e n . d a  a . g e n . d a Faithfulness

18. Syllable Weight • Recognizing syllable weight will also account for the final stress in verbs and unsuffixed adjectives: * Stress line 2 * ** Stress line 1 (* *) (*) * * (*) Baseline re.co.mmend  re.co.mmend End Stress Conflation

19. Algorithm - update • English stress algorithm: a. Project syllable heads onto the baseline. b. Mark the right-most baseline asterisk extrametrical (in nouns and suffixed adjectives only). c. Accent all heavy syllables. d. Construct line 1 by building left-headed feet iteratively from right to left. e. Construct line 2 by applying End Stress [Right] on line 1. f. Delete line 1.

20. Unstressed Final Heavies(Verbs) • Consider the following verbs and unsuffixed adjectives: de.vé.lop im.plí.cit i.má.gine en.dé.mic • The final syllables above meet our definition of heavy syllables. • Final heavy syllables attract stress in verbs and unsuffixed adjectives. • Why is the stress penultimate?

21. Word-Final Consonants • We shall assume that the final consonant in English words lies outside the rime. • Therefore: --- CV-C# --- CVC-C# (light) (heavy)

22. Word-Final Consonants * * * * * (* *) i.ma.gi-ne  NA  i.ma.gi-ne Accent Footing etc. * * * * * * * * * * (*) re.co.mmen-d  re.co.mmen-d  re.co.mmen-d Accent Footing etc.

23. Stressed Final Heavies(Nouns) • Consider the following nouns: chimpanzée enginéer referée seventéen magazíne millionáire • These nouns are stressed on the final syllable. • That syllable contains a long vowel. • The assumption is: - In English, extrametricality is blocked by long vowels but not by coda consonants.

24. Algorithm - update • English stress algorithm: a. Project syllable heads onto the baseline. b. Mark the right-most baseline asterisk extrametrical (in nouns and suffixed adjectives only) if it dominates a syllable with a simple nucleus. c. Accent all heavy syllables. d. Construct line 1 by building left-headed feet iteratively from right to left. e. Construct line 2 by applying End Stress [Right] on line 1. f. Delete line 1.

25. Unstressed Final Long Vowels(Nouns) • Consider the following nouns: búffal[] mosquít[] tomát[] Málib[u:] • These are nouns with long open final syllables which do not exhibit the expected final stress. • The assumption is: - The vowels are underlyingly short, so they induce extrametricality. After stress has been assigned, they will undergo lengthening.

26. Warning English stress assignment is by no means a simple matter.

27. Formalizing Syllable Weight • Onsets do not contribute to syllable weight. • Only the rime is relevant to the determination of syllable weight. • This, however, does not follow from our present formalism. • The same number of skeletal slots (3) are associated to the syllables: CCV and CVC.

28. Formalizing Syllable Weight • Syllable weight is a function of the number of skeletal slots in the rime:   O R O R N N Cd X X X X X X C C V C V C 1X = Light  2X = Heavy 

29. Moras • A mora () is a unit of syllable weight. • It is intermediate between the segment and the syllable. • A light syllable is mono-moraic (), and heavy syllable is bi-moraic (). • The replacement of skeletal slots with moras will render the intermediate R and N nods superfluous: Light Heavy      C C V C V C

30. Mora Projection • What is the source of the moras themselves? - lexical projection from vowels Underlying - structural projection from (coda) consonants WEIGHT BY POSITION        V C V C C V  V C V C C V WBP

31. Summing up • Syllables with branching rimes are defined as heavy. • Heavy syllables attract stress regardless of their position in the word. • To formalize this, the asterisk dominating the heavy syllable is projected onto line 1, a process known as accenting. • This vital step precedes foot construction. • Accented syllables will of necessity head their feet. • This follows from the Faithfulness Condition, which entails that each head corresponds to a constituent and each constituent to some head. • Final consonant extrasyllabicity accounts for the superficially final branching rimes in verbs and unsuffixed adjectives. • Blocking extrametricality by underlying vowel length accounts for nouns with final stress. • The onset plays no part in the calculation of syllable weight. • This leads to an alternative model of syllables, with rime segments attached to moras.

32. Next WeekChapters 15 and 16 Assignment: Key Questions (pages 441 and 494)