Colloquium Abstract, Eric Baković

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On becoming more similar but avoiding identity

Eric Baković
University of California, San Diego

ABSTRACT

In this talk I discuss a kind of pattern found in several languages whereby adjacent 'sufficiently similar' consonants are avoided via vowel epenthesis. I present several pieces of evidence for the analysis of this kind of pattern proposed in Baković (2005): that 'sufficient similarity' is defined by the mutual satisfaction of independent constraints enforcing antigemination and assimilation. Assimiliation requires greater similarity while antigemination requires avoidance of identity; greater similarity between 'sufficiently similar' consonants would lead to identity.

The primary consequences of this analysis are (A) that antigemination and assimilation are independent processes in the context of 'sufficient similarity' avoidance, and (B) that any conditions on the independent antigemination or assimilation processes will also be conditions on 'sufficient similarity' avoidance. I present evidence from English, Lithuanian, and Polish in support of (A) and (B). Briefly, the evidence is that (1) in all three languages, both identical and 'sufficiently similar' consonants are avoided via vowel epenthesis in the relevant contexts; (2) in all three languages, each feature ignored in the calculation of 'sufficient similarity' assimilates in the relevant contexts; (3) in Polish, both identical and 'sufficiently similar' consonants are only avoided word-initially before another consonant; (4) in Polish, variability in the application of one assimilation process coincides with variability in the application of vowel epenthesis in corresponding contexts; and (5) as the rate of variable assimilation has decreased over time, so has the corresponding rate of 'sufficient similarity' avoidance.

References

• Baković, Eric. 2005. Antigemination, assimilation and the determination of identity. Phonology 22, 279-315.
• Pająk, Bożena, and Eric Baković. Assimilation, antigemination, and contingent optionality: the phonology of monoconsonantal proclitics in Polish. To appear in Natural Language and Linguistic Theory.