영어자음군변화의 인지론적 분석

A Perceptual Account of Consonant Cluster Change in English

Historical perspectives have long helped to shape phonological theory and historical phonologists have long sought to test the validity of theoretical models using data from phonological changes. Diachronic evidence has a direct bearing on the nature and status of markedness constraints, which take on a central role in the phonological grammar in the model of Optimality Theory. This paper argues that perception plays a crucial role in consonant cluster changes in English. For instance, consonant cluster simplification testifies that a perceptually nonsalient consonant deletes regardless of its position in the syllable. It is also shown that the OCP results from the avoidance of perceptually similar sounds.