School of Languages and Linguistics - Research Publications
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ItemRaddoppiamento sintattico and glottalization phenomena in Italian: a first phonetic excursus( 2002)This study is a preliminary phonetic exploration of aspects of the well-known Italian sandhi phenomenon of Raddoppiamento sintattico (henceforth RS), which involves the gemination of word-initial consonants under certain conditions, eg dei [k]ani ‘some dogs’ but tre [kk]ani ‘three dogs’. It is often assumed that RS C-gemination is regular, but there is increasing evidence that it competes with other phenomena such as vowel lengthening. This study first discusses results of our auditory study of RS contexts, which show that RS is far less frequent in spontaneous speech than is theoretically predicted. This paper then looks specifically at glottal stop insertion and creak in RS contexts, based on the results of an initial small-scale acoustic investigation. The first has controversially been reported as occurring in RS environments where it serves to block RS (Absalom & Hajek, 1997). In addition, glottal stops have also been claimed to provide a coda to short word-final stressed vowels outside of RS environments (Vayra, 1994). We discuss our unexpected finding that glottalization characterizes phrase boundaries in our spontaneous speech data, and the implications that this evidence may have for the phonetic and phonological description of Italian and for our understanding of RS.
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ItemLanguages and culture in Australia in the 21st century: riding the multilingual tiger(Canberra: Department of Education, Science and Training, 2001)The rise of English as the world's dominant world language is seen by many as inevitable and permanent. While it might seem to bestow great advantage on native English-speakers, such an outcome is not guaranteed today or over time. It also runs the risk of disadvantaging English-speakers who are less inclined to see and grasp the benefits of multilingualism. History shows linguisitc predominance not to be permanent and there are compelling reasons - economic amongst them - in ensuring Australians are fluent in more than just English.
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ItemPhonological length and phonetic duration in Bolognese: are they related?( 1994)The phonetic basis of a reported phonological correlation between stressed vowel and post-tonic consonant length in Bolognese (Italo-Romance, N. Italy) is examined for the first time. Whilst a vowel length distinction is confirmed for all subjects, a correlation between vowel and consonant duration is not universal.
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ItemA typology of spreading, insertion and deletion or what you weren’t told about Raddoppiamento Sintattico in Italian(University of NSW, 2002)This paper focuses on the description and analysis of the external sandhi phenomenon of raddoppiamento sintattico (hereafter RS) in Italian, sometimes referred to as word-initial gemination. RS is one of the most discussed topics within Italian phonology, with the first description and treatment of the phenomenon dating back nearly 500 years. Theoretical analyses of RS since the 1970s, of whatever kind, seem to suggest that the facts of RS are clear and easy both to state and to analyze. Yet closer inspection shows RS not to occur in the manner claimed or predicted by these accounts. The aim of this paper is to highlight the empirical inadequacy of existing approaches to RS by illustrating the complex patterns that occur in RS environments.
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ItemInvestigating universals of sound change: the effect of vowel height and duration on the development of distinctive nasalization(Cambridge University Press, 2000)It is widely assumed that the development of vowel nasalization is conditioned by vowel height. Most commonly it is thought that low vowels are preferentially nasalized. However, there is conflicting cross-linguistic evidence of low vowels in some languages and high vowels in other languages being subject to preferential nasalization. Experimental evidence is also found to provide similarly conflicting results. These differences can be accounted for by different vowel duration effects: longer vowels are more likely to be perceived as nasal. Where low vowels are longer, they will be preferentially nasalized, where they are not longer than higher vowels, the latter will be preferentially nasalized.
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ItemTaba and Roma: clusters and geminates in two Austronesian languages( 1999)Some lesser-known Austronesian languages, such as Taba and Roma, with relatively simple phonological inventories, nevertheless have very complex phonotactic structures. The presence of a wide range of typologically unusual cluster combinations in word-initial position has important implications for generally accepted notions about Austronesian languages and about segment sequencing and the sonority hierarchy.
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ItemA perceptual basis for the foot parameter in the development of distinctive nasalization( 1999)The importance of perceptual phenomena in nasal vowel development is well known, but only recently has attention turned to suprasegmental phenomena known to condition this development. Perceptual explanations have already been given for the conditioning effect of vowel length, and, more tentatively, stress. In this study, we provide data from perceptual experiments in which nasality judgements were obtained from English speakers to examine the conditioning effects of three suprasegmental phenomena, all related to stress. The perceptual basis of the stress parameter is confirmed, however, no evidence is found of a similar effect underlying observed differences in nasalisation between pre and post-tonic vowels. Most importantly, foot structure is shown to condition nasality judgements such that vowels in single syllable feet (oxytones) are judged as more nasal than those in trochaic (paroxytonic) feet. Both the stress and the foot structure effects are shown to be independent of the vowel-length.
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ItemThe Gorgia Toscana and the phenomenon of spirantization in Tuscany(University of Trier, 1996)A detailed overview of the development of the Gorgia Toscana (GT 'Tuscan Throat') over time and space. It reexamines earlier work and considers competing hypotheses (including Etruscan substratum) about the source of the phenomenon. It concludes that there is little evidence of substratal effects. While GT continues to spread across Tuscany, the appearance of unusual fricative type outcomes is not unique to this region as is often assumed.
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ItemThe hardening of nasalized glides in Bolognese(Turin: Rosenberg and Sellier, 1991)This is a detailed examination of the historical development of nasalized vowels and glides in Bolognese. In this variety of Italo-Romance, velar nasals have developed as a result of glide hardening and can appear in word-medial and word-final position, e.g. LUNA > loNna 'moon', and PANE > paN 'bread'.
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ItemUniversals of nasal attrition( 1991)The claim that there is a hierarchy governing the attrition of nasals according to place of articulation is put to test in this paper by examination of cross linguistic data from two language groups which are unrelated genetically and geographically: the Romance dialects of Northern Italy and the Lower Cross group of South-Eastern Nigeria. Results of this new survey provide interesting food for thought: developments in the Northern Italian dialects support, to a large extent, predictions that follow from phonetic considerations. However, the Lower Cross languages at first appear to contradict expectations. This suggests that other factors may need to be taken account of, before a true universal tendency, if one exists, can be established.