A Phonology of Italian in a Generative Grammar

97 Pages·1970·2.777 MB·English

by  Mario Saltarelli

A PHONOLOGY OF ITALIAN IN A GENERATIVE GRAMMAR
JANUA LINGUARUM
STUDIA MEMORIAE
NICOLAI VAN WIJK DEDICATA
edenda curat
C.H. VAN SCHOONEVELD
INDIANA UNIVERSITY
SERIES PRACTICA
93
1970
MOUTON
THE HAGUE · PARIS
A PHONOLOGY OF ITALIAN
IN
A GENERATIVE GRAMMAR
by
MARIO SALTARELLI
1970
MOUTON
THE HAGUE · PARIS
© Copyright 1970 in The Netherlands.
Mouton & Co. N.V., Publishers, The Hague.
No part of this book may be translated or reproduced in any form, by print, photoprint, microfilm,
or any other means, without written permission from the publishers.
LIBRARY OF CONGRESS CATALOG CARD NUMBER: 77-95010
Printed in The Netherlands by Mouton & Co., Printers, The Hague.
PREFACE
This book is a slightly altered version of my doctoral dissertation. The general aim is
a description of the sound system of a variety of modern Italian within the framework
of generative-transformational grammar. The writer's major thesis is the following:
vowel length rather than stress is the 'linguistically significant' feature in Italian. Such
a hypothesis stands in controversy with former structural descriptions, which in
general uphold the converse. The content of the book is specifically directed to show
that the primacy of length over stress is well supported on empirical as well as
theoretical grounds. Phonetic and perceptual data is documented in classic works by
Panconcelli-Calzia, Josselyn, Parmenter, and Porena. Generalizations analogous to
those formulated here can be found more or less overtly stated in traditional descrip-
tions from Bembo to Merlo. Of particular theoretical relevance are the specific
generalizations that the proposed length hypothesis leads us to as regards major
phonological phenomena like word and phrase stress, vowel and consonant length,
rafforzamento, diphthongs, assimilation and ellipsis. Although the description is
strictly synchronic, one can appreciate its diachronic implications by considering, for
example, that / öiv+täd+e / is the underlying representation for cittd 'city' and
/ dik+t+o / for detto 'said'. It is important to note that the claims made in this
analysis of Italian are independent of the particular notation used. They are however
crucially positioned on the following guidelines. There is no explicit procedure at
present for obtaining THE grammar of a language; any such grammar is a hypothesis
about the language, subject to paradigmatic alternatives. The excellence of a meta-
theory is measured best in terms of the 'linguistically significant' generalizations it
leads us to.
Montecatini MARIO SALTARELLI
August, 1969

TABLE OF CONTENTS
Abbreviations 9
1. Studies of Italian Pronunciation 11
2. Problems in Italian Phonology 21
2.1. Italian [ζ], [ε], [o], and Partial Complementation 21
2.2. Length or Stress? 26
2.3. Assimilation and Ellipsis 30
2.4. Constituent Stress 31
3. A Phonology of Italian 36
3.1. The Phonological System 36
3.2. Phonological Redundancy 45
3.2.1. Morpheme Structure Rules 47
3.3. Precyclic Rules 63
3.3.1. Inflection of Nouns 63
3.3.1.1. Inflection of Adjectives 66
3.3.2. Inflection of the Verb 67
3.3.3. Word Formation 74
3.3.4. Alternations 77
3.3.4.1. Palatalization 77
3.4. Phonological Cycle 78
8 TABLE OF CONTENTS
3.4.1. Glides 80
3.4.2. Constituent Stress 81
3.4.2.1. Primary Stress 81
3.4.3. 'Dittonghi Mobili' 83
3.4.4. Affrication 83
3.4.5. Ellipsis 84
3.4.5.1. Vowel Ellipsis 84
3.4.5.2. Consonant Ellipsis 85
3.4.6. Consonant Length and 'Rafforzamento' 86
3.4.7. Apocope 86
3.4.8. Glide Residue 87
3.4.9. Secondary Stress 87
3.4.10. Phrase Stress 88
3.4.11. Cyclic Convention Rules 89
3.5. Postcyclic Rules 89
Bibliography 93
ABBREVIATIONS
Adj: adjective nsl: nasality
AFF: affix O.L.: Old Latin
C: consonant P: phonological
C.: cycle Pf: prefix
comp: compactness ph: phonetic
ens: consonantality pi.: plural
cnt: continuancy Plur.: plural
dif: diffuseness p. pi.: past participle
E: ending PREF: prefix
env.: environment Prep.: preposition
f.: feminine Pres.: present
Fem: feminine Pst: past
grv: gravity PS: primary stress
Imperf.: imperfect S: sentence
impf.: imperfect SF: suffix
Ital.: Italian shp: sharpness
L: liquid Sing.: singular
Lat.: Latin SS: secondary stress
Lex.: lexical (entry) strid: stridency
Igt: length Subj.: subjunctive
m.: masculine SUF: suffix
Masc.: masculine tns: tenseness
MS: morpheme structure TNS: tense
n.: noun TV: thematic vowel
N: noun, nasal V: vowel
nas: nasality voc: vocality
Neutral.: neutralizing voi: voice
NP: noun phrase W, Χ, Υ, Z: string or segment