Phonemes, derivational constraints or what?

Long‐Distance Coarticulation in Spoken and Signed Language: An Overview

“…1 1 A reviewer points out that some linguists and speech scientists question the validity of linguistic constructs like segments and phonemes (see Linell 1976; Faber 1992; Port 2006, 2007), although an exploration of this issue is beyond the scope of this review. In addition, Keating’s description of assimilation in terms of ‘segments’ is somewhat problematic when applied to sign language, which is why I have used the more general term ‘item’.…”