Class page maintained by D. Odden (readings and additional information)

This course introduces concepts of phonological computation and representation in three main theoretical frameworks: SPE-style rule-based phonology, Autosegmental Phonology, and Optimality Theory, these being the “standard theory” of phonology at different stages of generative linguistics. The ultimate goal is to provide a basis for theory comparison both across these theories, and with respect to other theories such as Declarative Phonology, Dependency and Government Phonology, or Substance-Free / Formal Phonology. The defining interest for this course will be formal theory – what technical devices were used to express particular generalizations, what kind of rules or constraints effected the mapping from underlying to surface form? In other words, what would the phonological grammar of Classical Arabic or Sadzhava Ukranian look like in any of these theories, and what do these theories say about the concept “possible phonological grammar”?