Author: Recasens, Daniel

Source: Diachronica, Volume 21, Number 1, 2004 , pp. 161-197(37)

Publisher: John Benjamins Publishing Company

Abstract:

This paper is an investigation of processes of sound change (i.e., assimilations, dissimilations, elisions) affecting diphthongs and triphthongs derived from Latin mid low vowels in Romance. This analysis is carried out with reference to the Degree of Articulatory Constraint model of coarticulation according to which adaptation effects between consecutive segments in the speech chain, as well as their regressive or progressive direction, are determined by the requirements imposed by speakers upon the articulatory structures. Several findings are consistent with this theoretical framework, namely, assimilatory vowel raising in diphthongs and triphthongs appear to be facilitated by a homorganic onglide in accordance with the prominence of the carryover effects associated with the articulatory gestures for /j/ and /w/, and dissimilatory vowel lowering is not prone to be implemented in rising diphthongs with a (mid) high front vowel perhaps since the production of these diphthongs involves high articulatory demands.

Keywords: Regressive and progressive segmental adaptation; articulatory constraint; diphthongization; assimilation; rising and falling diphthongs; triphthongs; dissimilation; segmental absorption

Document Type: Research article

DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.1075/dia.21.1.07rec

Affiliations: 1: Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona & Institut d'Estudis Catalans

Publication date: 2004-01-01

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• International Journal for Historical Linguistics

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