| Abstract: | Non-finality, OT's successor of extramericality in derivational accounts, operates through a set of constraints evaluating the position of metrical constituent heads rather than controlling their metrification. Merely parsing a final constituent never violates any constraint on Non-finality but assigning it headedness may. This paper builds on this assumption in its endeavour to analyse the process of stress assignment in the three Arabic dialects of Palestinian, Cairene, and Hijazi. The asymmetries depicted across these stress patterns are minor, yet evaluating their candidate analyses for Non-finality encompasses the full spectrum. The argument of ruling out final head feet, final head syllables, or both will be crucial to the analysis. In particular, the issue of assigning headedness to a rhythmically footed final pair of lights and denying it footing elsewhere calls for some radical developments of a hierarchy banning such a compromise of Non-finality. |
