Speaker: Christopher Legerme (MIT)
Title: Non-Optimization and Locality in Phonology
Time: Monday, March 31st, 5pm – 6:30pm
Location: 32-D831
Abstract: Drawing on recent proposals from Storme & Otilien (2022) and Lahrouchi & Ulfsbjorninn (2024), I discuss various linguistic patterns of Haitian Creole (HC) to illustrate how different grammatical architectures account for null alternations and apparent non-optimizing behavior in the language. For instance, in HC the alternation between the two forms of the definite determiner, la and a, has traditionally been analyzed as a case of phonologically conditioned suppletive allomorphy: la surfaces after consonant-final stems, while a appears after vowel-final stems. However, it is often pointed out that this distribution fails to align with phonotactic optimization, as it results in marked VV and CC sequences that contrast with the languages strong preference for CV syllables. The la ~ a alternation resists resolution when treated in isolation; instead, it forces us into a broader look at the nature of grammatical representation and the theoretical constructs invoked to explain the interaction of phonetic silence and phonological locality. Therefore, we will turn to the broader landscape of null alternations, patterns in HC where phonological material is variably silenced depending on structural context. Along the way, we consider two competing approaches: a parallel OT architecture that invokes morphological optimization (Storme & Otilien 2022), and a representational framework rooted in skeletal licensing and floating segments (Lahrouchi & Ulfsbjorninn 2024). The la ~ a alternation, when situated among the broader set of null alternations in the language, offers a critical vantage point for evaluating competing theoretical commitments. While the theories to be discussed each capture important properties of the puzzles for which they were developed to explain, I argue that a phonological rather than morphological or morphonological account offers a better unified explanation for locality disruption and the structural conditions on segment realization in HC.