Syllable structure assignment in Polish

Abstract

This study deals with syllable structure in Polish. The central theme is the question of when and how syllabification rules apply in the lexical phonology of Polish. In § i we lay the ground for our subsequent discussion by giving the basic syllable patterns of Polish. We also propose here a first version of the syllabification algorithm for Polish. In §2 we show that syllabification applies cyclically, because certain cyciic phonological rules make crucial use of information about the prosodic structure of their potential inputs. § 3 then shows that the syllabification algorithm has to apply both before and after the application of cyclic phonological rules on one cycle, and that syllabification is therefore a continuous process. In § we argue that the syllabification algorithm proposed in § i must be modified to enable us to predict whether a high [-consonantal] segment will surface as a vowel or as a glide. Since the distinction between vowels and glides is crucial for the application of certain cyclic phonological rules of Polish, this again shows that syllabification has to apply cyclically. § defends the hypothesis that resyllabification is restricted to Coda Erasure (and the subsequent syllabification of the desyllabified consonants). Again, the (un)predictability of the vowel/glide distinction plays a crucial role here. We summarise our conclusions in §6

Syllables and Moras in Arabic

“…shows). In Czech, word-initial liquids are nonsyllabic, while consonant+liquid sequences are syllabic (Rubach & Booij 1990). …”

Initial Glottalization and Final Devoicing in Polish English

“…Thus, for English we may make a generalizing statement that a sequence /tj/ in a syllable onset results in a post-alveolar affricate. Resyllabification is impossible in Polish (Rubach and Booij 1990), so the /t/ and the /j/ in kot jest must be analyzed as belonging to two separate syllabic constituents. Liaison in English may be interpreted as a form of this type of resyllabification.…”

“…This process may be motivated by an apparent universal preference for syllables with consonantal onsets. In Polish, resyllabification across word boundaries is impossible (Rubach and Booij 1990). The preference for consonantal onsets is satisfied by means of an alternative strategy: glottal stop insertion.…”

Cliticization as prosodic integration: The case of Dutch

“…Resyllabification is restricted to Coda Erasure of the consonants of the final syllable of the already syllabified part of the string (Rubach and Booij 1990a). Similarly, proclitics and prefixes get the same prosodie structure, for example de keer 'the turn' and bekeer 'to convert': (27) CT a ker a CT bs ker…”