Predictability and phonology: Past, present and future

Abstract

Many papers in this special issue grew out of the talks given at the Symposium "The role of predictability in shaping human language sound patterns," held at Western Sydney University (Dec. 10-11, 2016). Some papers were submitted in response to an open call; others were invited contributions. This introduction aims to contextualize the papers in the special issue within a broader theoretical context, focusing on what it means for phonological theory to incorporate gradient predictability, what questions arise as a consequence, and how the papers in this issue address these questions.