Long-Distance Dependencies and Other Formal Issues in Phonology
Charles Reiss · The MIT Press eBooks · 2009
The model of stress computation proposed by Morris Halle and William J. Idsardi explicitly aims to reduce to a bare minimum the set of primitives the approach requires. In this approach, the foot types (iambs, trochees, etc.) that constitute the primitives of other models are epiphenomena arising from the foot construction algorithms. This chapter examines long-distance dependencies and other formal issues in phonology by focusing on Idsardi’s appeal to finite state automata and his critique of Optimality Theory. It also considers the use of directed brackets in the model presented by Idsardi and its predecessors. It first looks at neutral vowels, natural classes, directionality and foot boundaries, and nondirected foot boundary markers before turning to undesirably footed marks.