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Adjacency parameters in phonology

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  19 February 2026

David Odden
David Odden*
Affiliation:
Ohio State University
*
Department of Linguistics, 222 Oxley Hall, The Ohio State University, 1712 Neil Avenue, Columbus, OH 43210
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Abstract

One motivation for nonlinear phonology is the potential for eliminating the devices of linear phonology needed to allow rules to apply to nonadjacent segments. Imposing hierarchical structure on the organization of features within a segment and allowing segments to be unspecified for certain features makes it possible to view apparently longdistance rules as rules operating between segments which are adjacent at a specified level, even though the segments are not adjacent at all levels of representation. This paper presents a theory of phonological adjacency requirements. Locality Theory is defined by a universal Locality Condition, which requires elements to be local within a plane, the Adjacency Parameter, which in turn allows rules to impose further constraints on the maximal distance between interacting segments, and by Transplanar Locality, which bans certain types of relations across featural planes. A survey of phonological processes demonstrates the generality of this theory across feature tiers.

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Type
Research Article
Information
Language , Volume 70 , Issue 2 , June 1994 , pp. 289 - 330
Copyright
Copyright © 1994 by Linguistic Society of America

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