Long-Distance Phonotactics as Tier-Based Strictly 2-Local Languages

Abstract

This paper shows that the properties of locality observed for patterns of long-distance consonant agreement and disagreement belong to a well-defined and relatively simple class of subregular formal languages (stringsets) called the Tier-based Strictly 2-Local languages, and argues that analyzing them as such has desirable theoretical implications. Specifically, treating the two elements of a long-distance dependency as adjacent segments on the computationally defined notion of a tier allows for a unified account of locality that necessarily extends to the cross-linguistically variable behavior of neutral segments (transparency and blocking). This result is significant in light of the long-standing and persistent problems that long-distance dependencies have raised for phonological theory, with current approaches still predicting several pathological patterns that have little or no empirical support.

Inductive learning of locality relations in segmental phonology

“…These findings are consistent with the hypothesis that the Tier-based Strictly 2-Local class of formal languages (TSL 2 ; delimits the range of learnable phonotactic patterns (McMullin, 2016;McMullin & Hansson, 2015;cf. Lai, 2015).…”

“…also Suzuki, 1998;Wayment, 2009). An alternative criterion, implicit in the term 'transvocalic' used here, is consonant-tier adjacency: Harmony applies if and only if no other consonant intervenes (Hansson, 2010;Jurgec, 2011;McMullin, 2016;McMullin & Hansson, 2015). Clear-cut evidence bearing on the choice between these interpretations is hard to come by (though consonant-tier adjacency seems slightly better supported; Hansson, 2010, pp.…”

Long-distance consonant agreement and subsequentiality

“…Heinz et al (2011) showed that long-distance phonotactics with blocking are Tier-based Strictly 2-Local. McMullin & Hansson argued that long-distance consonant agreement and disagreement are both Tier-based Strictly Local, and that transvocalic patterns are a special case of blocking (McMullin & Hansson 2016). Analogous to the fact that local phonotactic patterns can be characterized by Strictly Local languages, long-distance phonotactic patterns can be characterized by Strictly Piecewise (SP) languages (Heinz 2010).…”

Segmental Blocking in Dissimilation: An Argument for Co-Occurrence Constraints

“…Bennett 2015). Recent work in artificial grammar learning suggests that this crosslinguistic generalization is psychologically real: participants have a difficult time learning patterns in which a dissimilatory alternation occurs in less-local (and not more-local) contexts (McMullin & Hansson 2016). One way to formalize the notion that co-occurrence restrictions are sensitive to distance is to claim that co-occurrence constraints are gradiently evaluated (following Kimper 2011, Zymet 2015cf.…”

“…As noted by McMullin & Hansson (2016), the only known way to motivate context-free dissimilation in the SCTD is with the constraints in (40-41). With this modification, the SCTD is capable of accounting for the suffixal alternations as well as the root-internal restrictions present in the three cases documented here.…”