Earticle

초록

영어

This study examines velar softening, a morphophonological rule occurring in English words of Romance origin where velar stops (/k/, /g/) become sibilants ([s], [dʒ]) typically before a non-low front vowel. Traditional rule-based theories and previous constraint-based theories fail to account for the seemingly unpredictable nature of this phenomenon. This paper presents an alternative analysis using harmonic parallelism (classical Optimality Theory), arguing that velar softening is a direct input-output mapping rather than a step-by-step derivation. Following Lee (2004), I posit multiple input forms for alternating bases and show that velar softening can be explained through a set of constraints, including one that resolves diachronic opacity. To address a key counterexample, Isaa[k]ism, I further propose that lexical entries encode etymological origin (Romance vs. non-Romance), which can be represented in markedness constraints. Based on this analysis, the paper employs faithfulness and markedness constraints like Ident-IO[F], *SDOR+Suf1(R), *Sib+Suf2(R), SDOR-ɛ]w(R), and Max(SDOR). This OT analysis provides a more comprehensive and robust account of velar softening, capturing its patterns and exceptions without relying on a derivational approach.

목차

I. Introduction
II. Previous Analyses of English Velar Softening
III. An Alternative Analysis of English Velar Softening
IV. Conclusion
Works Cited
Abstract

키워드

저자

• Park, In Kyu [ Chungbuk National University ]

참고문헌

발행기관

간행물

표지보기 관심저널 등록

• 간행물명

  영어영문학연구 [The Jungang Journal of English Language and Literature]

• 간기

  계간

• pISSN

  1598-3293

• 수록기간

  1968~2026

• 등재여부

  KCI 등재

• 십진분류

  KDC 840 DDC 810