Old English and the Theory of Phonology (Routledge Library Editions: Phonetics and Phonology)

First published in 1985. This title is a study in the synchronic and diachronic phonology and morphology of the Mercian dialect of Old English. It is particularly concerned with issues in the theory of phonology that have been the subject of the ‘abstractness controversy’, which developed in response to the theory of phonology put forward by Chomsky and Hale. This title will be of interest to students of English language and linguistics. Dedication 8 Acknowledgements 10 Abstract 12 Contents 14 Introduction 18 I. Short Diphthongs and Phonological Abstractness 37 II. Unseen i and Verb Morphology 111 III. Noun Morphology and Vowel Deletion 152 IV. Second Fronting 222 V. Conclusion 272