The coda mirror V2

Abstract

This article further develops Coda Mirror theory (Ségéral- Scheer 2001a): its shortcomings are identified (overgeneration: the super-weak position predicted has no empirical echo, and the four-way parametric situation predicted in domain-final position is confronted with only two attested configurations), and a solution is proposed by dispensing with the equal-rightedness of government and licensing. Government over licensing is the principle proposed: no constituent can simultaneously be the target of both lateral forces, and if both could in principle apply, government is given precedence. A welcome by-product of this move is a new definition of open vs. closed syllables that makes sense: vowels in the former, but not in the latter, are licensed.