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Investigating the interaction between segmental structure and prosodic structure using an extended model of Element Theory

Research Project

Project/Area Number 15K02611
Research Category

Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (C)

Allocation TypeMulti-year Fund
Section一般
Research Field English linguistics
Research InstitutionTohoku Gakuin University

Principal Investigator

BACKLEY Phillip  東北学院大学, 文学部, 教授 (20335988)

Co-Investigator(Kenkyū-buntansha) 那須川 訓也  東北学院大学, 文学部, 教授 (80254811)
Project Period (FY) 2015-04-01 – 2019-03-31
Project Status Completed (Fiscal Year 2018)
Budget Amount *help
¥4,420,000 (Direct Cost: ¥3,400,000、Indirect Cost: ¥1,020,000)
Fiscal Year 2018: ¥910,000 (Direct Cost: ¥700,000、Indirect Cost: ¥210,000)
Fiscal Year 2017: ¥1,040,000 (Direct Cost: ¥800,000、Indirect Cost: ¥240,000)
Fiscal Year 2016: ¥1,300,000 (Direct Cost: ¥1,000,000、Indirect Cost: ¥300,000)
Fiscal Year 2015: ¥1,170,000 (Direct Cost: ¥900,000、Indirect Cost: ¥270,000)
Keywordsphonology / elements / melody-prosody interface / segmental structure / head-dependency / 音韻理論 / 制約性 / 依存・認可 / 音節 / 韻脚 / 音韻エレメント / Element Theory / prosodic structure / unified melody-prosody / Japanese
Outline of Final Research Achievements

Element Theory (ET) is an innovative model of phonological knowledge in Generative Grammar which focuses solely on the internal structure of segments. This research has extended the scope of ET to include prosodic as well as segmental structure, redefining ET as a general theory of phonological representation rather than just a theory of segmental structure. All of a morpheme’s phonological properties (melodic and prosodic) are now expressible in terms of elements.
In this and related (collaborative) research, ET has evolved into the model called 'Precedence-free Phonology' (PfP), which has the more ambitious aim of removing the need to state the linear ordering of segments in representations. Instead, segmental ordering falls out automatically when language users interpret the intricate network of head-dependency (H-D) relations that control prosodic and melodic structure. The claim is that H-D relations operate between all units (elements) in a unified prosodic-melodic structure.

Academic Significance and Societal Importance of the Research Achievements

本研究を通じて、次の3点において、音韻知識に関する我々の理解を深めることとなった。第1に、異なる単位からなる異なる領域とこれまで考えられてきた分節と韻律表示を、エレメントと呼ばれる単位間の主要部・依存部関係のみで、統一的に表示することが可能となった。第2に、統語表示同様、分節間の前後関係は音韻属性ではなく、非対称的音韻構造を解釈した産物であると見做すことで、音韻系も統語系と言語学的に似た仕組みを呈することを示した。第3に、伝統的「音節」構造を用いず、エレメント同士の主要部・依存部関係からなる音韻表示を用いて諸分析が可能となったことで、音韻系における回帰階層構造の実在性が示された。

Report

(5 results)
  • 2018 Annual Research Report   Final Research Report ( PDF )
  • 2017 Research-status Report
  • 2016 Research-status Report
  • 2015 Research-status Report
  • Research Products

    (61 results)

All 2019 2018 2017 2016 2015 Other

All Int'l Joint Research (5 results) Journal Article (13 results) (of which Int'l Joint Research: 10 results,  Peer Reviewed: 10 results,  Open Access: 9 results,  Acknowledgement Compliant: 3 results) Presentation (33 results) (of which Int'l Joint Research: 28 results,  Invited: 8 results) Book (8 results) Remarks (2 results)

  • [Int'l Joint Research] University College London(英国)

    • Related Report
      2018 Annual Research Report
  • [Int'l Joint Research] Stockholm University(スウェーデン)

    • Related Report
      2018 Annual Research Report
  • [Int'l Joint Research] Nantes University(フランス)

    • Related Report
      2018 Annual Research Report
  • [Int'l Joint Research] University College London(英国)

    • Related Report
      2017 Research-status Report
  • [Int'l Joint Research] Universite de Nantes(フランス)

    • Related Report
      2017 Research-status Report
  • [Journal Article] Existing and non-existing accents: the case of intervocalic /t/ in English2019

    • Author(s)
      Nasukawa, Kuniya
    • Journal Title

      Tohoku Gakuin University Review: Essays and Studies in English and Literature

      Volume: 103 Pages: 13-21

    • Related Report
      2018 Annual Research Report
    • Open Access
  • [Journal Article] Pronouncing schwa in spoken English2019

    • Author(s)
      Backley, Phillip
    • Journal Title

      Tohoku Gakuin University Review: Essays and Studies in English and Literature

      Volume: 103 Pages: 55-64

    • Related Report
      2018 Annual Research Report
    • Open Access
  • [Journal Article] Challenging cross-linguistic typology: Right-edge consonantal prominence in Kaqchikel2018

    • Author(s)
      NASUKAWA KUNIYA、BACKLEY PHILLIP、YASUGI YOSHIHO、KOIZUMI MASATOSHI
    • Journal Title

      Journal of Linguistics

      Volume: 56 Issue: 3 Pages: 1-31

    • DOI

      10.1017/s0022226718000488

    • Related Report
      2018 Annual Research Report
    • Peer Reviewed / Open Access / Int'l Joint Research
  • [Journal Article] The phonological shape of morphemes constructed by Merge2018

    • Author(s)
      Nasukawa, Kuniya
    • Journal Title

      Phonological Externalization

      Volume: 3 Pages: 1-8

    • NAID

      120006472836

    • Related Report
      2018 Annual Research Report
    • Open Access
  • [Journal Article] |H| and |L| have unequal status2018

    • Author(s)
      Nasukawa, Kuniya & Phillip Backley
    • Journal Title

      Phonological Studies

      Volume: 21 Pages: 41-48

    • NAID

      40021534205

    • Related Report
      2017 Research-status Report
    • Peer Reviewed / Int'l Joint Research
  • [Journal Article] Headedness in Element Theory: the case for multiple heads2017

    • Author(s)
      Backley, Phillip
    • Journal Title

      Glossa

      Volume: 2.1 Issue: 1 Pages: 1-17

    • DOI

      10.5334/gjgl.463

    • Related Report
      2017 Research-status Report
    • Peer Reviewed / Open Access / Int'l Joint Research
  • [Journal Article] Extending the application of Merge to elements in phonological representations2017

    • Author(s)
      Nasukawa, Kuniya
    • Journal Title

      Journal of the Phonetic Society of Japan

      Volume: 21 Pages: 59-70

    • NAID

      120006250006

    • Related Report
      2017 Research-status Report
    • Peer Reviewed / Open Access / Int'l Joint Research
  • [Journal Article] Review: ‘Duanmu San, A Theory of Phonological Features (Oxford Linguistics). Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2016. Pp. vii + 178.’2017

    • Author(s)
      Nasukawa, Kuniya
    • Journal Title

      Journal of Linguistics

      Volume: 53.2 Issue: 2 Pages: 449-454

    • DOI

      10.1017/s0022226716000372

    • Related Report
      2017 Research-status Report
    • Peer Reviewed / Open Access / Int'l Joint Research
  • [Journal Article] Representing moraicity in Precedence-free Phonology2017

    • Author(s)
      Kuniya Nasukawa & Phillip Backley
    • Journal Title

      Phonological Studies

      Volume: 20 Pages: 55-62

    • NAID

      40021194067

    • Related Report
      2016 Research-status Report
    • Peer Reviewed / Int'l Joint Research / Acknowledgement Compliant
  • [Journal Article] The role of elements in the development of Japanese h2016

    • Author(s)
      Kuniya Nasukawa & Phillip Backley
    • Journal Title

      Phonological Studies

      Volume: 19 Pages: 51-58

    • NAID

      40020781253

    • Related Report
      2016 Research-status Report
    • Peer Reviewed / Int'l Joint Research / Acknowledgement Compliant
  • [Journal Article] The origins of Japanese h from an element-based perspective2016

    • Author(s)
      Phillip Backley & Kuniya Nasukawa
    • Journal Title

      Papers in Historical Phonology

      Volume: 1 Pages: 269-284

    • Related Report
      2016 Research-status Report
    • Peer Reviewed / Open Access / Int'l Joint Research / Acknowledgement Compliant
  • [Journal Article] A precedence-free approach to (de-)palatalisation in Japanese2016

    • Author(s)
      Nasukawa Kuniya
    • Journal Title

      Glossa: a journal of general linguistics

      Volume: 1(1): 9 Issue: 1 Pages: 1-21

    • DOI

      10.5334/gjgl.26

    • Related Report
      2016 Research-status Report
    • Peer Reviewed / Open Access / Int'l Joint Research
  • [Journal Article] 音韻的回帰併合と非時系列音韻論2016

    • Author(s)
      Kuniya Nasukawa
    • Journal Title

      日本音韻論学会20周年記念論文集

      Volume: 20周年記念論文集 Pages: 196-199

    • Related Report
      2016 Research-status Report
    • Peer Reviewed / Int'l Joint Research
  • [Presentation] Voicing (VOT) contrasts and L2 acquisition2019

    • Author(s)
      Nasukawa, Kuniya
    • Organizer
      Seminar, Departament de Filologia Catalana, Facultat de Filologia, Traduccioi Comunicacio, Universitat de Valencia, Valencia, Espana
    • Related Report
      2018 Annual Research Report
    • Int'l Joint Research / Invited
  • [Presentation] Lexicalising morpheme-internal phonological structure2019

    • Author(s)
      那須川 訓也
    • Organizer
      形態統語構造の音韻的外在化:普遍性と差異 第8回ワークショップ 東北学院大学土樋キャンパス
    • Related Report
      2018 Annual Research Report
    • Invited
  • [Presentation] 言語機能における音韻系の位置づけ2019

    • Author(s)
      那須川 訓也
    • Organizer
      九州大学言語学研究会. 九州大学伊都キャンパス
    • Related Report
      2018 Annual Research Report
    • Invited
  • [Presentation] Vowel weakening reveals hierarchical segment structure2018

    • Author(s)
      Nasukawa, Kuniya & Phillip Backley
    • Organizer
      Generative Linguistics in the Old World (GLOW) 41. The Research Institute for Linguistics of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences. Budapest, Hungary
    • Related Report
      2018 Annual Research Report
    • Int'l Joint Research
  • [Presentation] Element suppression: dependents are the first to go2018

    • Author(s)
      Nasukawa, Kuniya & Phillip Backley
    • Organizer
      The 26th Manchester Phonology Meeting, University of Manchester, UK
    • Related Report
      2018 Annual Research Report
    • Int'l Joint Research
  • [Presentation] Velar softening without precedence relations2018

    • Author(s)
      Onuma, Hitomi & Kuniya Nasukawa
    • Organizer
      The 26th Manchester Phonology Meeting, University of Manchester, UK
    • Related Report
      2018 Annual Research Report
    • Int'l Joint Research
  • [Presentation] “Epenthetic” consonants in nasal-consonant sequences: Consonant-vowel element interactions2018

    • Author(s)
      Nasukawa, Kuniya & Nancy Kula
    • Organizer
      Elements: State of the Art and Perspectives, The University of Nantes, France
    • Related Report
      2018 Annual Research Report
    • Int'l Joint Research
  • [Presentation] Elements in prosodic structure2018

    • Author(s)
      Backley, Phillip
    • Organizer
      Elements: State of the Art and Perspectives, The University of Nantes, France
    • Related Report
      2018 Annual Research Report
    • Int'l Joint Research / Invited
  • [Presentation] Phonological evidence for segmental structure: Insights from vowel reduction2018

    • Author(s)
      Nasukawa, Kuniya & Phillip Backley
    • Organizer
      Phonology Forum 2018. Higashiyama Campus, Nagoya University, Japan
    • Related Report
      2018 Annual Research Report
    • Int'l Joint Research
  • [Presentation] The Phonological Structure of Morphemes Constructed by Merge2018

    • Author(s)
      Nasukawa, Kuniya
    • Organizer
      The 7th Workshop on Phonological Externalization of Morphosyntactic Structure: Universals and Variables (PHEX7), Hokkaido University, Sapporo, Hokkaido, Japan
    • Related Report
      2018 Annual Research Report
    • Int'l Joint Research
  • [Presentation] The internal structure of language sounds: an acoustic approach2018

    • Author(s)
      Nasukawa, Kuniya, Phillip Backley & Ikuo Matsuo
    • Organizer
      Seminarier och gastforelasningar, Department of Linguistics, Stockholm University, Sweden
    • Related Report
      2018 Annual Research Report
    • Int'l Joint Research / Invited
  • [Presentation] Segment-internal structure: evidence from vowel reduction2018

    • Author(s)
      Backley, Phillip & Kuniya Nasukawa
    • Organizer
      The 15th Old World Conference in Phonology. University College London, University of London, UK
    • Related Report
      2017 Research-status Report
    • Int'l Joint Research
  • [Presentation] Recursive Merge and phonological features2018

    • Author(s)
      Nasukawa, Kuniya
    • Organizer
      Tokyo Conference on Evolinguistics. University of Tokyo, Japan
    • Related Report
      2017 Research-status Report
    • Int'l Joint Research / Invited
  • [Presentation] Linearity in phonology2018

    • Author(s)
      那須川訓也
    • Organizer
      The 6th Workshop on Phonological Externalization of Morphosyntactic Structure: Universals and Variables (PHEX6), 新潟大学
    • Related Report
      2017 Research-status Report
  • [Presentation] 英語学習者によるVOTの産出: 特徴と改善方法2018

    • Author(s)
      那須川訓也
    • Organizer
      東北大学言語脳認知総合科学研究センター第1回ワークショップ「ことばの発達の神経科学
    • Related Report
      2017 Research-status Report
    • Invited
  • [Presentation] Domain boundary marking is parametric2017

    • Author(s)
      Nasukawa, Kuniya & Phillip Backley
    • Organizer
      The 25th Manchester Phonology Meeting, University of Manchester, UK
    • Related Report
      2017 Research-status Report
    • Int'l Joint Research
  • [Presentation] Representing domain boundary markers: how and where2017

    • Author(s)
      Nasukawa, Kuniya & Phillip Backley
    • Organizer
      The 15th Annual Conference of the French Phonology Network (Reseau Francais de Phonologie)
    • Related Report
      2017 Research-status Report
    • Int'l Joint Research
  • [Presentation] |H| and |L| have unequal status2017

    • Author(s)
      Nasukawa, Kuniya & Phillip Backley
    • Organizer
      Phonology Forum 2017. Minami-Osawa Campus, Tokyo Metropolitan University, Japan
    • Related Report
      2017 Research-status Report
    • Int'l Joint Research
  • [Presentation] Asymmetry between the laryngeal primes |H| and |L|2017

    • Author(s)
      Nasukawa, Kuniya & Phillip Backley
    • Organizer
      Beyond VOT: searching for realism in laryngeal phonology, The 47th Poznan Linguistic Meeting (PLM2017). Adam Mickiewicz University, Poland
    • Related Report
      2017 Research-status Report
    • Int'l Joint Research
  • [Presentation] Recursive Merge and elements2017

    • Author(s)
      Nasukawa, Kuniya
    • Organizer
      Government Phonology Roundtable (GPRT) 2017. Pazmany Peter Catholic University, Budapest, Hungary
    • Related Report
      2017 Research-status Report
    • Int'l Joint Research
  • [Presentation] Acoustic prominence and phonological head-dependent structure2017

    • Author(s)
      Nasukawa, Kuniya
    • Organizer
      The Research Institute of Linguistics, Hungarian Academy of Sciences, Karoli Gaspar University of the Reformed Church in Hungary, Budapest, Hungary
    • Related Report
      2017 Research-status Report
    • Int'l Joint Research / Invited
  • [Presentation] Moraic segments in syllable-free phonology: the mora nasal in Japanese2016

    • Author(s)
      Kuniya Nasukawa & Phillip Backley
    • Organizer
      Syllables and syllabification: theoretical approaches and pedagogical applications (国際学会)
    • Place of Presentation
      University of Poitiers, France
    • Year and Date
      2016-09-29
    • Related Report
      2016 Research-status Report
    • Int'l Joint Research
  • [Presentation] Recursion in element-based prosodic structure2016

    • Author(s)
      Kuniya Nasukawa & Phillip Backley
    • Organizer
      Workshop: Recursion in Phonology (Restrictive Phonology Research Group) (国際学会)
    • Place of Presentation
      東北学院大学
    • Year and Date
      2016-09-01
    • Related Report
      2016 Research-status Report
    • Int'l Joint Research
  • [Presentation] Representing moraicity in Precedence-free Phonology2016

    • Author(s)
      Kuniya Nasukawa & Phillip Backley
    • Organizer
      Phonology Forum 2016 (日本音韻論学会) (国際学会)
    • Place of Presentation
      金沢大学
    • Year and Date
      2016-08-24
    • Related Report
      2016 Research-status Report
    • Int'l Joint Research
  • [Presentation] Melodic primes as prosodic constituents2016

    • Author(s)
      Phillip Backley & Kuniya Nasukawa
    • Organizer
      24th Manchester Phonology Meeting (MFM24) (国際学会)
    • Place of Presentation
      University of Manchester, UK
    • Year and Date
      2016-05-26
    • Related Report
      2016 Research-status Report
    • Int'l Joint Research
  • [Presentation] Conditions on the variable interpretation of U in Japanese2016

    • Author(s)
      Phillip Backley & Kuniya Nasukawa
    • Organizer
      The 13th Old World Conference in Phonology (国際学会)
    • Place of Presentation
      Eotvos Lorand University, Budapest, Hungary
    • Year and Date
      2016-01-13
    • Related Report
      2015 Research-status Report
    • Int'l Joint Research
  • [Presentation] Recursive Merge in phonology2016

    • Author(s)
      Kuniya Nasukawa
    • Organizer
      Workshop: Phonological Externalization of Morphosyntactic Structure. 153th Meeting of the Japan Linguistics Society
    • Place of Presentation
      福岡大学
    • Related Report
      2016 Research-status Report
  • [Presentation] The origins of Japanese h from a element-based perspective2015

    • Author(s)
      Phillip Backley & Kuniya Nasukawa
    • Organizer
      The 2nd Edinburgh Symposium on Historical Phonology (国際学会)
    • Place of Presentation
      The University of Edinburgh, UK
    • Year and Date
      2015-12-03
    • Related Report
      2015 Research-status Report
    • Int'l Joint Research
  • [Presentation] Syllables without constituents: towards melody-prosody integration2015

    • Author(s)
      Kuniya Nasukawa & Phillip Backley
    • Organizer
      The workshop 'Around the syllable: phonetics, phonology and acquisition' (国際学会)
    • Place of Presentation
      The University of Poitiers, France
    • Year and Date
      2015-11-12
    • Related Report
      2015 Research-status Report
    • Int'l Joint Research
  • [Presentation] Features and their physical exponents in signed and spoken languages2015

    • Author(s)
      Kuniya Nasukawa
    • Organizer
      Signed and Spoken Language Linguistics Festa (SSLL 4) 2015 (国際学会)
    • Place of Presentation
      National Museum of Ethnology, Osaka, Japan
    • Year and Date
      2015-09-20
    • Related Report
      2015 Research-status Report
    • Int'l Joint Research
  • [Presentation] Phonological categories of VOT and phonetic compromise in L2 acquisition2015

    • Author(s)
      Kuniya Nasukawa, Phillip Backley & Hitomi Onuma
    • Organizer
      The 12th Generative Approaches to Language Acquisition conference (GALA 12) (国際学会)
    • Place of Presentation
      University of Nantes, France
    • Year and Date
      2015-09-10
    • Related Report
      2015 Research-status Report
    • Int'l Joint Research
  • [Presentation] The role of elements in the development of Japanese h2015

    • Author(s)
      Kuniya Nasukawa & Phillip Backley
    • Organizer
      Phonology Forum 2015 (国際学会)
    • Place of Presentation
      Osaka University, Japan
    • Year and Date
      2015-08-19
    • Related Report
      2015 Research-status Report
    • Int'l Joint Research
  • [Presentation] The potential for expressing contrasts is greater in structural complements than in structural heads2015

    • Author(s)
      Kuniya Nasukawa & Phillip Backley
    • Organizer
      The 23rd Manchester Phonology Meeting (MFM 23) (国際学会)
    • Place of Presentation
      University of Manchester, UK
    • Year and Date
      2015-05-28
    • Related Report
      2015 Research-status Report
    • Int'l Joint Research
  • [Book] 村野井 仁(編)『コア・カリキュラム準拠 小学校英語教育の基礎知識 』2018

    • Author(s)
      那須川 訓也
    • Total Pages
      240
    • Publisher
      大修館書店
    • ISBN
      9784469246186
    • Related Report
      2018 Annual Research Report
  • [Book] Geoff Lindsey & Andrew Nevins (eds.), Sonic Signatures: Studies dedicated to John Harris (Language Faculty and Beyond 14)2017

    • Author(s)
      Backley, Phillip
    • Total Pages
      322
    • Publisher
      John Benjamins (Amsterdam)
    • ISBN
      9789027208316
    • Related Report
      2017 Research-status Report
  • [Book] Jiyoung Choi, Hamida Demirdache, Oana Lungu and Laurence Voeltzel (eds.), Language Acquisition at the Interfaces: Proceedings of Generative Approaches to Language Acquisition (GALA) 20152017

    • Author(s)
      Nasukawa, Kuniya, Phillip Backley & Hitomi Onuma
    • Total Pages
      342
    • Publisher
      Cambridge Scholars Publishing (Newcastle upon Tyne)
    • ISBN
      9781527503366
    • Related Report
      2017 Research-status Report
  • [Book] Bridget Samuels (ed.), Beyond Markedness in Formal Phonology (Linguistik Aktuell)2017

    • Author(s)
      Nasukawa, Kuniya
    • Total Pages
      237
    • Publisher
      John Benjamins (Amsterdam)
    • ISBN
      9789027257246
    • Related Report
      2017 Research-status Report
  • [Book] 音韻研究 18 [ISBN: 978-4-7589-2018-6]2015

    • Author(s)
      Kuniya Nasukawa & Phillip Backley
    • Publisher
      開拓社
    • Related Report
      2015 Research-status Report
  • [Book] Eric Raimy & Charles Cairns (eds.), The Segment in Phonetics and Phonology [ISBN: 978-1-118-55540-8]2015

    • Author(s)
      Kuniya Nasukawa
    • Publisher
      Wiley-Blackwell (Malden MA)
    • Related Report
      2015 Research-status Report
  • [Book] Marc van Oostendorp & Henk van Riemsdijk (eds.), Structure in Phonology and Syntax [ISBN: 978-1-5015-1066-3]2015

    • Author(s)
      Kuniya Nasukawa
    • Publisher
      Mouton de Gruyter (Berlin/Boston)
    • Related Report
      2015 Research-status Report
  • [Book] 中野 弘三 服部 義弘 小野 隆啓 西原 哲雄 (監修)『最新英語学・言語学用語辞典』[ISBN: 978-4-7589-2215-9]2015

    • Author(s)
      那須川訓也(音韻論分野用語編集担当,および分担執筆)
    • Total Pages
      537
    • Publisher
      開拓社
    • Related Report
      2015 Research-status Report
  • [Remarks] Phonological recursion and the place of phonology

    • URL

      https://sites.google.com/site/kngrants/26284067

    • Related Report
      2018 Annual Research Report 2017 Research-status Report
  • [Remarks] Workshop: Recursion in Phonology

    • URL

      https://sites.google.com/site/rprgtgu/home/workshop-2016

    • Related Report
      2018 Annual Research Report 2017 Research-status Report

URL: 

Published: 2015-04-16   Modified: 2022-02-21  

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