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Form, function, and frequency in phonological variation

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  23 November 2012

James A. Walker
James A. Walker*
Affiliation:
York University
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Abstract

Formal and usage-based approaches to phonology make competing predictions that can be tested with variationist methodology. This paper investigates formal, functional, and frequency effects on (t/d)-deletion in Canadian English. Although initial results suggest a correlation between lexical frequency and deletion, once interaction and lexical effects are taken into account, only phonological and morphological factor groups are significant. Previous reports of frequency effects may result from different measurements of frequency and the contribution of overlapping factor groups. These results suggest that frequency does not operate monotonically but interacts dynamically with the lexicon.

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Type
Research Article
Information
Language Variation and Change , Volume 24 , Issue 3 , October 2012 , pp. 397 - 415
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2012

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