LINGUIST List 3.555

Tue 07 Jul 1992

Disc: Comparatives, Phonology

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Directory

1. Eric Schiller, Comparatives
2. , phonology

Jacques Guy writes:

Finally, I found a meaning such that that sentence was grammatically
correct, to me at least: "I think this [steak] is rarer than Allan
does [cook them]".

I think that this is not ellipsis, but rather an anaphoric use of
does. "John does his veggie burgers rare." Where the 'does' is
getting its interpretation from the context. Or perhaps 'does' is
just a kind of underpecified lexical item here, a plausible idea
in that it is usually just a tense marker.

Eric Schiller

John Coleman seems to be out on his own in what he requires of
phonological theories and proponents thereof. He is not. I agree
wholeheartedly both with his observations concerning Natural
Phonology and on his invitation to practitioners to demonstrate what
they're claiming. Too much low grade observation and pre-theoretical
formalisation has passed and still passes for 'phonology'. To some
extent this can be seen in the way most 'theories' do indeed pick
over the same old material. That's not to say that it's an
illegitimate exercise (unless of course the picking over simply
reworks some previous analysis without actually getting out there
and listening/measuring to what happens!) rather that there is a
concensus agenda which few practitioners are willing to challenge. I
can find no evidence that Natural Phonologists have or are dealing
with material which other frameworks have not essayed or find
unaccountable.

John Local