ABC+Q: segmental subdivisions in correspondence

Abstract: Phonological theory has long been challenged by the behavior of contour segments and contour tones in harmony patterns. Sometimes these entities participate in phonology as whole units; at other times, their subsegmental parts act independently. This talk, based on joint work with Stephanie Shih (Stanford/Berkeley), builds on insights from Aperture Theory (Steriade 1993), Articulatory Phonology (Browman and Goldstein 1989; Gafos 2002) and Autosegmental Theory (Goldsmith 1976) to propose a novel phonological representation for segments: each segment (‘Q’) is subdivided into a maximum of three ordered subsegmental phases (‘q’) that host unitary sets of distinctive features and can participate in harmony and other processes. Embedded into Agreement by Correspondence theory (Hansson 2001, Rose and Walker 2004), Q theory makes it possible to describe the dual behavior of contours. Q-level correspondence gives rise to whole-contour assimilation and dissimilation; q-level correspondence gives rise to interactions among the parts of contours. The predictions of ABC+Q theory are illustrated with evidence from local and nonlocal interactions among consonants, vowels, and tones.