LIN329: Assignment 1
Due in hard copy at the beginning of lecture on Oct. 21, 2024
Part 0:
Make sure to include your name and student number!
You must write up the assignment on your own, but you can talk to other students about it. If you talk to other students, you MUST write their names on your assignment.
Part 1: Distributions (60 marks)
Consider the following data from Language P. All symbols are in IPA transcription (i.e. [y] is a vowel).
pytikabo ‘run’
tekalifyra ‘jump’
ide ‘walk’
mygita ‘swim’
ebysilopydi ‘fly’
vyri ‘skip’
abogetisapy ‘float’
Q1: Are [i] and [y] in contrastive or complementary distribution in Language P? Provide evidence for your response. If the distribution is contrastive, you should provide a minimal or near-minimal pair, and if it is complementary, provide a generalization about the environments. (2 points)
Q2: Are [i] and [e] in contrastive or complementary distribution in Language P? Provide evidence for your response. If the distribution is contrastive, you should provide a minimal or near-minimal pair, and if it is complementary, provide a generalization about the environments. (2 points)
Q3: Based on the formulation given in class for this family of constraints, define the following constraints (1 point each = 2 points total):
• Ident-IO[round]
• Ident-IO[high]
Q4: In addition to the constraints from Q3, you will need the following constraints for your analysis. For each constraint, state whether it is a general markedness constraint, a special markedness constraint, or a faithfulness constraint. Briefly explain how you know. (2 points each = 8 points total)
• *LabialUnrounded: Assign a violation for every unrounded vowel following a labial consonant in the output.
• *FrontRounded: Assign a violation for every front rounded vowel in the output.
• *CoronalHigh: Assign a violation for every high vowel following a coronal consonant in the output.
• *Mid: Assign a violation for every mid vowel in the output.
Q5: Of the constraints in Q3 and Q4, three are relevant to the OT analysis of [i] vs. [y] in Language P. Which three constraints are relevant? For each pair of these three relevant constraints, provide a pairwise comparison to illustrate their ranking in Language P. You should have three pairwise comparisons total. For each pair, you’re expected to:
(1) choose an appropriate example
(2) choose an appropriate competing candidate
(3) fill out the tableaux for the pairwise comparison correctly
(4) provide the conclusion about the ranking of the constraints (5 points per pair = 15 points total)
Q6: Provide two full tableaux with all three constraints chosen in Q5 to illustrate the distribution of [i] and [y] in Language P. One tableau should illustrate a form with [i] and one should illustrate a form. with [y]. Each tableau should use three constraints, ranked in the appropriate order based on Q5. Each tableau should include the correct UR and at least two appropriate candidates. (4 points each = 8 points total)
Q7: Of the constraints in Q3 and Q4, three are relevant to the OT analysis of [i] vs. [e] in Language P. Which three constraints are relevant? For each pair of these three relevant constraints, provide a pairwise comparison to illustrate their ranking in Language P. You should have three pairwise comparisons total. For each pair, you’re expected to:
(1) choose an appropriate example
(2) choose an appropriate competing candidate
(3) fill out the tableaux for the pairwise comparison correctly
(4) provide the conclusion about the ranking of the constraints (5 points per pair = 15 points total)
Q8: Provide two full tableaux with all three constraints chosen in Q7 to illustrate the distribution of [i] and [e] in Language P. One tableau should illustrate a form. with [i] and one should illustrate a form. with [e]. Each tableau should use three constraints, ranked in the appropriate order based on Q7. Each tableau should include the correct UR and at least two appropriate candidates. (4 points each = 8 points total)
Part 2: Stress (40 marks)
Consider the same data from Language P, now with stress marked. Recall that all symbols are in IPA transcription (i.e. [y] is a vowel).
pytíkabò ‘run’
tekalífyrà ‘jump’
idé ‘walk’
mygitá ‘swim’
ebýsilòpydì ‘fly’
vyrí ‘skip’
abógetìsapỳ ‘float’
Q1: Re-write the Language P dataset including syllable boundaries and foot boundaries. (7 points)
Q2: State the correct Language P parameters for each of the following (1 point each = 4 points total):
• Which syllable within the foot receives greater stress?
• Which edge of the word is stressed determined from?
• Must all syllables be contained within a foot?
• Which stress is primary?
Q3: For each of the following pairs of constraints, provide a pairwise comparison to illustrate the ranking of your constraints. For each pair, you’re expected to:
(1) choose an appropriate example from the dataset to illustrate these particular constraints
(2) choose an appropriate competing candidate
(3) fill out the tableaux for the pairwise comparison correctly
(4) provide the conclusion about the ranking of the constraints (5 points per pair = 20 points total)
• RhTy=T vs. RhTy=I
• All-Ft-R vs. All-Ft-L
• FtBin vs. ParseSyll
• Leftmost vs. Rightmost
Q4: Using the eight constraints in Q3, provide a full tableau to illustrate your complete analysis of the stress system in Language P. You should choose an appropriate example to illustrate all points of your analysis, and you should have enough candidates to illustrate everything about your analysis. Make sure to use dashed vs. solid lines appropriately in your tableau. (9 points)