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Annual Review of Linguistics

Volume 9, 2023

Serialism and Opacity in Phonological Theory

Abstract

Opacity is a natural language phenomenon where a phonological process is rendered non-surface-true by virtue of its interaction with other processes. Phonologists have long been fascinated with opaque generalizations both from a typological standpoint (What kinds of non-surface-true generalizations are found?) and a theoretical one (Which formal tools permit an analysis of opacity?). This review aims to () discuss the breadth of non-surface-true generalizations in light of phonologists’ (often implicit) working definitions of opacity and () address opacity as a flashpoint in one of the larger debates in generative phonology, between the rule-based serial approach of Chomsky & Halle's and constraint-based parallel Optimality Theory. A conclusion offered here is that the well-known problems Optimality Theory faces with some kinds of opacity are due not to its lack of serialism but to the fact that such processes are input-motivated rather than output-motivated.

Keyword(s): Harmonic Serialism, opacity, Optimality Theory, parallelism, rule ordering
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2023-01-17
2024-05-23
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Serialism and Opacity in Phonological Theory
Annual Review of Linguistics 9, 497 (2023); https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev-linguistics-031220-120748
/content/journals/10.1146/annurev-linguistics-031220-120748
/content/journals/10.1146/annurev-linguistics-031220-120748
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