A Reanalysis of Consonant Cluster Simplification and s-Neutralization

Abstract

Two Korean syllable coda phenomena are reanalyzed as combinations of processes that include coda neutralization (CN), a process that converts all coronal obstruents to unreleased [t=]. (1) Consonant cluster simplification, explained elsewhere by one or more deletion rules, is argued to consist of CN followed by phonetic coda licensing, which allows only place features & a sonority feature [+son] in the coda. As dental consonants are unspecified for place, noncoronal consonants have precedence whether syllable-final or nonfinal in the underlying representation. Differences between Standard Korean & Kyengsang dialect are explained by priority given to place licensing in the former & sonorant licensing in the latter. (2) A challenge to the assumption that /t/ is the least marked Korean consonant is presented by s-neutralization of coronal obstruents; this phenomenon is argued to result from three successive processes: lexical resyllabification, CN, & continuant assimilation. The least-marked status of /t/ is preserved by this account, which supports underspecified hierarchical feature representation & permits conditioning of phonological processes by a phonetic coda constraint. 19 References. Adapted from the source document