Phonological Representations: Their Names, Forms and Powers (Cambridge Studies in Linguistics, Series Number 85)

This book reviews current theories of the sound-structure of words and syllables. Dr. Coleman presents technical arguments showing that the contemporary theories are too complex and that a simpler theory, Declarative Phonology, is adequate. This theory is exemplified with detailed accounts of the sound-structure of words and syllables in English and Japanese. Rewriting rules, derivations and underlying representations is an enduring characteristic of generative phonology. In this book, John Coleman argues that this is unnecessary. The expressive resources of context-free Unification grammars are sufficient to characterize phonological structures and alternations. According to this view, all phonological forms and constraints are partial descriptions of surface representations. This framework, now called Declarative Phonology, is based on a detailed examination of the formalisms of feature-theory, syllable theory and the leading varieties of nonlinear phonology. Dr Coleman illustrates this with two extensive analyses of the phonological structure of words in English and Japanese. As Declarative Phonology is surface-based and highly restrictive, it is consistent with cognitive psychology and amenable to straightforward computational implementation 1. Introduction 2. Segmental Representations And Their Phonetic Interpretation 3. Segmental And Transformational Phonology 4. Non Linear Phonological Representations In Contemporary Generative Phonology 5. Phonological Representations In Declarative Phonology 6. A Declarative Analysis Of Japanese Words 7. A Declarative Analysis Of English Words. John Coleman. Includes Bibliographical References (p. 326-343) And Index. In generative grammar, a distinction is made between linguistic representations, which are formal or mental objects of linguistic theory, and rules, which are (usually derivational) relations between representations of different kinds.