Foot-based allomorphy in Tlapanec (Mè’phàà)

Abstract

Tlapanec (Mè’phàà), an Otomanguean language spoken in Mexico, has several allomorphic alternations which are sensitive to the number of syllables of the stem (monosyllabic vs. disyllabic). We argue that these alternations are motivated by the foot structure which consists of two syllables, and that such alternations can be captured by subcategorization frames. An alternative, P » M analysis is also provided, where the allomorphic alternations are motivated by markedness constraints, namely *(tV.ˈσ), which avoids [t] in the weak position of the foot. These two approaches will be compared, and it will be argued that a subcategorization approach is more adequate than a P » M analysis.