Drawing on an optimality-theoretic framework, this book provides a comprehensive overview of the phonology of German, with its idiosyncratic array of sound patterns. It starts with the consonants and vowels and the distinctive features they consist of, moving on to account for allophonic changes in detail, as well as syllables and their weight units. Phonological processes are then explored in depth, with chapter-length explorations of feet, prosodic words, prosodic phrases, and intonation phrases, showing that the prosodic hierarchy provides the domains of most phonological processes. It also includes discussions of the interfaces of morphology and syntax with phonology, as well as prosodic phrasing and intonation. The constraint-based approach allows a new holistic perspective, simultaneously encompassing all aspects of German phonology. Wide-ranging yet accessible, it is essential reading for advanced students of both linguistics and German, as well as individual scholars seeking a one-stop resource on the topic.

‘This impressive and compelling book will become the new standard work for the phonology of German. It convinces with its easy comprehensibility, which serves students of German studies, and its theoretical depth, from which all scholars interested in phonology will benefit. It is highly enjoyable to read the detailed and thoughtful descriptions and analyses.’

Ingo Feldhausen - ATILF-CNRS & Université de Lorraine

‘The immense value of the book lies in its integration of all levels of the prosodic hierarchy in a coherent, optimality-theoretic analysis. It will provide both beginners and experienced researchers with a broad foundation in modern phonological research by combining well-established examples, new findings, and fresh proposals for analysis within a unified framework.’

Frank Kügler - Professor of Linguistics, Goethe University Frankfurt

‘Through a rigorous (re)analysis of German phonology from top to bottom, this book has succeeded in providing a comprehensive as well as comprehensible overview of German phonology like no other book has ever managed to.’

Shinichiro Ishihara - Associate Professor of Japanese, Lund University