| Abstract: | This paper presents an analysis of the patterns exhibited by Palenquero voiced stops, which reveals that there is a close connection between spirantization, prenasalization, flapping, and lateralization as they are articulatory maneuvers that a language may use to reduce the effort cost of implementing underlying voiced stops. Spirantization, prenasalization, and lateralization facilitate the production of voicing by allowing venting through one of the valves that separate the supraglottal cavity from the atmosphere. Flapping, on the other hand, yields this effect by reducing the temporal coordinates of the constriction target. The consequences that these articulatory adjustments have for the production of voicing are captured within the framework of Optimality Theory (Prince and Smolensky 1993) through a system of interacting constraints where LAZY, a principle that embodies the tendency to reduce articulatory effort (Kirchner 1994 1995, 1998), rivals with IDENT(Feature), the drive to preserve underlying feature specifications (McCarthy and Prince 1995). Lexical marking, optionality, and a distinction between restricted and general grammar are also central elements of the analysis. |
