Word stress is frequently afforded secondary importance in English teaching as stress placement rules are complex and because stress can be learnt along with each new word. However, training learners to pay more attention to word stress cues can support them in predicting the stress patterns of new vocabulary. Also, for speakers of fixed stress…

This paper analyzes a few significant differences between Spanish and English in relation to phonological patterns. First, a short introduction is given about these two languages, and it is briefly explained in what linguistic aspects they are similar or different. Then, each of these linguistic features is analyzed in detail, clearly establishing…

Ambridge's proposal cannot account for the most basic observations about phonological patterns in human languages. Outside of the earliest stages of phonological production by toddlers, the phonological systems of speakers/learners exhibit internal behaviours that point to the representation and processing of inter-related units ranging in size…

The stylistic analysis of Robert Browning's poem "Patriot into Traitor" is done by using graphological, phonological, morphological and lexico-syntactic patterns. This analysis is helpful in decoding the underlying meanings of the poem. It clearly brings to surface what the poet really wants to impart.

Three analyses of Spanish-English cognates were conducted, with the purpose of identifying features that might facilitate or inhibit bilingual students' cognate recognition and cross-language transfer of vocabulary knowledge. Results revealed that both the General Service List and the Academic Word List (AWL) contain a substantial number of…

Adult English language learners in the United States approach the learning of English pronunciation from a wide variety of native language backgrounds. They may speak languages with sound systems that vary a great deal from that of English. The pronunciation goals and needs of adult English language learners are diverse. These goals and needs…

A dialect of Rato-Romansh spoken in a Swiss town is examined in the context of lexical phonology. The structure of this dialect's lexicon consists of two levels defined by stress assignment, not cyclically in this case but at the end of each level. Other considerations that have been advanced as bases for level division within the lexicon, such as…

The syllable structure of Dholuo, a Nilo-Saharan language spoken in Western Kenya, is analyzed according to the generative CV-phonology model, which assumes that the syllable has a three-tiered structure: syllable node; CV-tier; and segmental tier. The consonant and vowel repertoires of Dholuo are outlined and charted, and syllable peak patterns,…

A nonlinear approach to phonology that is more constrained than linear theory is proposed. The theory disallows rules of feature changing, resulting in a stronger, more consistent, and more interesting theory. Specifically, it is suggested, and tested with data from Chukchi, that dissimilations and other nonassimilatory rules are rules of feature…

A study examined the phonological status of laminal sibilants in Chamicuro, a Maipuran Arawakan language spoken in the Amazonian lowlands of eastern Peru. The phonemic inventory of these sibilants shows a very strong symmetry of three affricates and three corresponding fricatives. However, when the laminal alveolar fricative is considered, the…

An explanation of the ordering and co-occurrence constraints operating within French complement clitic sequences is proposed. It is argued that these template-formed syntactic constituents result from interaction of two features in conjunction with certain phonological constraints, and that once explained, the clitic sequence can be seen as an…

The influence of lexical stress and/or metrical stress on spoken word recognition was examined. Two experiments were designed to determine whether response times in lexical decision or shadowing tasks are influenced when primes and targets share lexical stress patterns (JUVenile-BIBlical [Syllables printed in capital letters indicate those…

The method of parametric interpretation used in the computer program "Yorktalk," software that creates synthetic parameter files from phonological representations of speech, is explained. First, the design of the program is described, and the concept of "exponency" in prosodic analysis is explained as it is applied in the…

A discussion of autosegmental phonology (AP), a theory of phonological representation that uses graphs rather than strings as the central data structure, considers its principal constraint, the "No Crossing Constraint" (NCC). The NCC is the statement that in a well-formed autosegmental diagram, lines of association may not cross. After…

Examines claims and assumptions of theory of "government phonology," using as a starting point a monograph on phonological government in Japanese, in which the theory is applied to a range of phonological and morphological data. Main theoretical concepts in the theory are introduced and critically discussed, and connections to other theories of…