| ROA: | 583 |
|---|---|
| Title: | Vowel Reduction in Russian: A Unified Account of Standard, Dialectal, and 'Dissimilative' Patterns |
| Authors: | Katherine Crosswhite |
| Comment: | Previously appeared in University of Rochester Working Papers (2000) |
| Length: | 65 |
| Abstract: | This paper provides an Optimality-Theoretic analysis of a number of Russian vowel reduction patterns relying on a non-unitary approach to two-pattern reduction systems. Furthermore, under this analysis a particularly complex dialectal reduction pattern, traditionally referred to as 'dissimilative' reduction, is analyzed without use of direct featural dissimilation. Instead, constraints on sonority, foot form, and lengthening under stress conspire to allow the quality of the stressed vowel to indirectly affect the reduction of the preceding unstressed vowel. The key insight involves the idea that more sonorous vowels can lengthen under stress more easily than less sonorous ones. |
| Type: | Paper/tech report |
| Area/Keywords: | Phonology |
| Article: | Version 1 |