Formal Problems in Semitic Phonology and Morphology

J. J. McCarthy III, 1979

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This study deals with the formal character of phonological representations and rules.  Two basic lines of investigation are pursued.  One, the metrical, holds that there is hierarchic metrical structure within syllables and accentual groups.  A metrical theory of syllable structure and of stress is elaborated based on data from Tiberian Hebrew, Classical Arabic, and the modern Arabic dialects of Cairo and Damascus.  The effects of syllable structure on the form and function of segmental phonological rules are adumbrated with data from Tiberian Hebrew as well.  The role of metrical structure in vowel harmony also figures briefly.

The other formal line followed is prosodic.  An essentially autosegmental theory of nonconcatenative morphology is developed and extensively illustrated with data from Classical Arabic and Tiberian Hebrew.  A general constraint limiting the morphology to context-sensitive rewrite rules is developed and defended on the basis of this theory.  The prosodic model is also shown to solve several traditional problems in the characterization of reduplication phenomena.  Finally, a theory of internally-structured lexical entries is proposed and is demonstrated to have significant empirical consequences within this morphological system.

Thesis Supervisor:         Morris Halle

Title:                             Ferrari P. Ward Professor of Modern Languages and Linguistics

Table of Contents

Chapter 1         Prologue                                                                                               9

Chapter 2         Syllable structure and segmental phonology

            1          Introduction                                                                                          14

            2          Syllable structure                                                                                  16

            3          Syllabic structure and phonological rules                                                30

            4          The segmental phonology of Tiberian Hebrew                           35

Footnotes                                                                                                                     76

Chapter 3         Syllable structure and accentuation

            1          Introduction                                                                                          78

                        Excursus: foot structure in English                                                          92

            2          Stress assignment in Arabic                                                                   101

                        2.1       Cairene colloquial                                                                     101

                        2.2       Damascene colloquial                                                               118

                        2.3       Classical Arabic                                                                        127

                        2.4       Diachronic considerations                                                         131

            3          The accentual system of Tiberian Hebrew                                              135

                        3.1       Introduction                                                                              135

                        3.2       Main stress                                                                               139

                        3.3       The rhythm rule                                                             145

                        3.4       Imperfect consecutive stress retraction                          165

                        3.5       Perfect consecutive stress shift                                      170

                        3.6       Secondary stress                                                                      180

                        3.7       Summary                                                                                  191

            4          Nonprosodic metrical structure                                                 193

                        4.1       Tigre                                                                                        198

                        4.2       Maltese                                                                                    203

Footnotes                                                                                                                     206

Chapter 4         Prosodic structure, morphology, and the lexicon

            1          Introduction                                                                                          209

            2          Basic formalism                                                                                    218

                        2.1       The representation of morphemes                                              218

                        2.2       Autosegmental theory                                                               230

            3          The Classical Arabic verbal system                                                       239

                        3.1       Consonantism                                                                           245

                        3.2       Vocalism                                                                                  281

                        3.3       The first Binyan                                                             290

                        3.4       Subject agreement                                                                    295

            4          The Classical Arabic nominal system                                                     304

                        4.1       Nouns with m-preformative                                                       305

                        4.2       Masdars                                                                                   321

                        4.3       Diminutive and broken plurals                                       330

                                    4.3.1    Quadriliteral nouns                                                        332

                                    4.3.2    Nouns CVVCV(V)C                                                   337

                                    4.3.3    Nouns CVCVVC                                                         340

                                    4.3.4    Nouns CVC(V)C                                                         343

            5          Theoretical consequences

                        5.1       Formal properties of morphological rules                                   356

                        5.2       Morphology and the lexicon                                                      387

                                    5.2.1    The structured lexical entry                                            393

                                    5.2.2    Lexical idiosyncracy                                                      408

Footnotes                                                                                                                     417