Phonotactics and rules interacting in change: understanding Mid-Scots θ-Debuccalisation and Late Middle English Syncope

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• Patrick Honeybone (University of Edinburgh)
• Thursday 04 November 2021, 16:30-18:00
• Online.

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This talk considers the interaction of phonotactics and diachrony. I argue two things: (i) language-specific phonotactic constraints on phonological forms can inhibit otherwise regular innovations, and (ii) the fact that such phonotactically-motivated process-inhibition occurs in historical phonology is itself evidence for the reality of phonotactic constraints. I consider two case studies where an understanding of phonotactics is necessary in order to make sense of the patterning of change: Mid-Scots θ-debuccalisation and a late Middle English syncope. I ground the discussion in arguments about what phonotactic constraints are, and how they can be involved in diachrony.

This talk is part of the Cambridge University Linguistic Society (LingSoc) series.

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