LINGUIST List 13.1056

Tue Apr 16 2002

Qs: Deletion & Epenthesis, Semantic Fields

Editor for this issue: Karen Milligan <karenlinguistlist.org>

Directory

1. Elliott Moreton, Chain shifts with deletion or epenthesis
2. Andreas Nordin, semantic fields: recent publications?

Dear Linguists:

 We are searching for examples of synchronic or diachronic chain
shifts (i.e., counterfeeding rule interactions, such that /A/->[B] while
/B/->[C]) in which segments are inserted or deleted.

 For example, in Catalan, there is a process which deletes a
word-final post-nasal stop, and another which deletes a word-final nasal;
however, word-final nasals created by stop deletion are not themselves
deleted: /bint/->[bin] 'twenty', /bin/->[bi] 'wine'.

 In the Catalan example, /A/->[B] and /B/->[C] are both deletions, but
we would also be interested in hearing of cases in which both were
insertions (hypothetical /q/->[qa], /qa/->[qat]), or one was an insertion
and the other a change (hypothetical /q/->[qi], /qi/->[ki]), etc.

 The most interesting case for us would be one which involved both a
deletion and an insertion: /AxB/->[AB], /AB/->[AyB]. We know of only one
claimed such case (Donegan & Stampe in Dinnsen (ed.) 1979).

 We also count "sole-survivor effects", i.e., cases in which *all*
instances of surface [B] are derived from underlying /A/. In Optimality
Theory, these must be analyzed as chain shifts: /A/->[B], /B/->[something
else]. A language in which, e.g., all surface clusters were derived by
syncope would therefore be of interest to us.

 A summary of all responses will be posted to the list (we can be
relied upon to do this; see LINGUIST 13.450, 2002 Feb. 14).

Many thanks,
Elliott Moreton and Paul Smolensky
Department of Cognitive Science
Johns Hopkins University
Baltimore, Maryland, U.S.A.

Dear all,

I wonder if there are any recent (or older) publications dealing with 
semantic fields both in general and specifically. I would be most 
grateful for any information.

Best regards,
Andreas Nordin

English Department
G�teborg University
Box 200
SE-405 30 G�teborg
SWEDEN
E-mail: andreas.nordineng.gu.se