PLM 2005 ABSTRACTS VAULT
see http://elex.amu.edu.pl/ifa/plm for further details

Prenasalized stops: methodological scepticism

Małgorzata Haładewicz-Grzelak (Technical University of Opole)

Two principal contemporary phonological models, namely OT and GP, are ‘notorious’ for resorting to exotic sound patterns to support their tenets. The present paper originated as an attempt to trace some of the issues mentioned by those theories. Specifically, the prenasalization of consonants was investigated in the context a little wider than the basic facts generally described.
One of the outcomes of such research was gaining deeper cross-linguistic insights into the nature of consonantal prenasalization, although the results are regretfully still a low-level analysis . The second outcome was pointing out some of the inconsistencies present in the accessible OT, GP, and feature-geometry analyses of the phenomenon. The research showed the incomplete nature of the data used in those analyses and the relativity of some concepts employed, which in fact defy one another. The discussed elaborations were McCarthy’s (2003) interpretation of Luganda vowel lengthening before pre-nasalized stops, Stuart Davies’ (2003) analysis of the Sinahala inanimate plural and KLV’s (1990) discussion of open syllables in Ngizim.

REFERENCES
Davis, S. Geminates and syllable weight. In Fery (2003:77-97)
Dziubalska-Kołaczyk, K. 2002. Beats-and-Binding Phonology. Frankfurt a.M.: Peter Lang
Féry, C . and Van de Vijver, R. (2003). Syllable in Optimality Theory. Oxford University Press
Gussman, E. 2002. Phonology. Analysis and Theory. Cambridge. Cambridge University Press.
Kaye,J., Lowenstramm, J. and Vergnaud J.R. (1990) Constituent structure and government in Phonology. Phonology 7 . 193-231
McCarthy, J. 2003. Sympathy, Cumulativity and the Duke-of York Gambit. In Féry (2003),23-76.
Schuh, R. 2002. Bade and Ngizim phonology and morphology. Handout 02 available at http://www.humnet.ucla.edu/humnet/aflang/Ngizim/ngizim.html
A primer on Speaking and Writing Luganda. Available at www.buganda.com/luganda.html#intro
Sinhala script and pronunciation guide. Available at www.speaksinhala.com/downloads/main_download.htm
RECORDINGS CONSULTED
Nin, Khadja. Ya. 2000. BMG France. (Sung in Kirunda and Swahili)
Simon, P. Graceland. 1986. Warner Bros. Records. Inc. Excerpts sung in Zulu.