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A comprehensive model of phonological variation: grammatical and non-grammatical factors in variable nasal place assimilation*

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  04 October 2016

Andries W. Coetzee
Andries W. Coetzee*
Affiliation:
University of Michigan and North-West University
*
E-mail: coetzee@umich.edu.
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Abstract

The past two decades have seen the development of several constraint-based models of phonological grammar that can handle variable phenomena. Most of these models, however, are purely grammatical, and do not allow for the contribution of non-grammatical factors towards determining the frequency structure of variation. This paper reviews different approaches to phonological variation, focusing on how grammatical and non-grammatical factors co-determine patterns of variation. Based on this review, a model is developed that incorporates influences from both grammatical and non-grammatical factors. The proposed model is grammar-dominant, in the sense that grammar defines the space of possible variation while non-grammatical factors only contribute towards the frequency with which the grammar determined forms are observed. Following Coetzee & Kawahara (2013), the model is developed in a version of noisy Harmonic Grammar that allows non-grammatical factors to scale the weights of faithfulness constraints up or down.

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Articles
Information
Phonology , Volume 33 , Issue 2 , August 2016 , pp. 211 - 246
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2016 

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Footnotes

*

I want to express my appreciation to the many people with whom I have had the opportunity to discuss the ideas that went into this project, in particular my colleague Pam Beddor. I also acknowledge the help of Emily Reimann and Anthony Natoci in running the experiments for this project. This paper has benefited greatly from the input of three reviewers, an associate editor and the editors of Phonology. Reasonable reviewers and an effective editorial team are a pleasure to work with.

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