8 - Syllables and strata

Summary

Introduction

This chapter, concerned with the predictions regarding syllable structure that are made by the present model of stratified phonology-morphology interaction, will focus on two kinds of issues. The first of these is the interaction of syllabification with the processes of the morphology. This is both a theory-internal matter, dealing with the mechanics of the lexical and postlexical derivation, and an empirical matter, concerning the generalisations that are available regarding syllable structure and the position of syllable boundaries in the vicinity of morphological boundaries. And it is of course connected with the issue of liaison: the various sandhi phenomena – [r],[^{j w}], prevocalic [?] – and more generally the effect of morphological boundaries on the organisation of the speech continuum into syllables. The second issue concerns the possible existence of stratum-specific characteristics of syllable structure. While it is not inconceivable that syllabification may follow a uniform pattern throughout the derivation (in that case, the relevant mechanisms would simply not be stratum-sensitive), the opposite case whereby the syllable patterns found on different strata have different characteristics would lend valuable support to the stratification model proposed in this study. I shall show here that syllabification does indeed have a number of stratum-specific features, although the basic mechanisms are the same throughout the lexical derivation.

Obviously, stratum-specific and morphology-sensitive syllable patterns can only be defined against the background of a specific model of syllable structure, developed in turn with regard to the present derivational framework.