Anglo-Frisian Brightening and α-Restoration in Early Old English

This study attempts to analyze Anglo-Frisian Brightening (AFB) and α-restoration in early Old English (OE) within the framework of Optimality Theory (OT). AFB fronts every [a] except before a nasal to [æ]. However, later on [æ] in the open syllable is restored to [a] when a back vowel in the suffix follows. Two main proposals are made in this study. First, AFB occurs to fill the gap in the short vowel inventory of West Germanic. To substantiate this proposal, an analysis based on dispersion theory and an analysis utilizing markedness constraints are provided and compared. Second, α-restoration is harmony driven by a weak trigger in the suffix: Harmony occurs in order for a perceptually weak element to be expressed in a strong position. A licensing-based account is developed for α-restoration. The interaction of a licensing constraint, a proximity constraint and featural identity constraints can correctly predict the presence and absence of α-restoration. This study shows that the proposed analysis can not only account for why AFB and α-restoration occur but also formalize two phenomena in a principled and unified manner.