2016 Fiscal Year Research-status Report
拡大エレメント理論を用いた分節内構造と韻律構造の相関関係の解明
| Project/Area Number |
15K02611
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| Research Institution | Tohoku Gakuin University |
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Principal Investigator |
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| Co-Investigator(Kenkyū-buntansha) |
那須川 訓也 東北学院大学, 文学部, 教授 (80254811)
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| Project Period (FY) |
2015-04-01 – 2019-03-31
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| Keywords | Element Theory / segmental structure / prosodic structure / Japanese / unified melody-prosody / head-dependency |
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| Outline of Annual Research Achievements |
This research contributes to the development of the Element Theory (ET) model of segmental structure. ET already offers a strong alternative to distinctive feature theories, but it has the potential to explain non-segmental aspects of phonological structure too. This work investigates how ET expresses information about prosodic domains (syllables, feet, words) within melodic structure. By integrating prosodic and melodic structure in this way, the ET model enriches our understanding of phonological representations and processes; it also strengthens its own status as an explanatory tool for representing word-sized units cross-linguistically.
During the first year of this project I conducted a thorough review of the ET literature in order to survey the use of head-dependency relations between (melodic) structural units. This led to my own line of research on how asymmetric relations between elements can be extended from melodic to prosodic structure. This marks an important step towards my goal of demonstrating how and why melodic and prosodic structure should be fused into a single unified representation. This research continued in the second year of the project, and has recently begun to focus on the prosodic functioning of elements as domain boundary markers. So far, my findings have been presented at a number of international conferences in Europe and Japan, and have also been published in several renowned journals including 'Glossa', 'Phonological Studies' and 'Papers in Historical Phonology'.
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| Current Status of Research Progress |
Current Status of Research Progress
2: Research has progressed on the whole more than it was originally planned.
Reason
Having completed two years of this research project, I remain committed to my original research plan and to the schedule which I set out in my proposal. I have succeeded in addressing all the key issues in my research topic that are required to take this project smoothly into its third year.
My starting point was Element Theory (ET) as a model of melodic/segmental structure. My goal, however, is to show that ET has the potential to explain much more than segmental information: my research will demonstrate that ET is also relevant to prosodic structure in a way which eliminates the need for (1) a formal division between melody and prosody, and (2) traditional prosodic constituents (syllable, foot word) in phonological representations.
I have succeeded in arguing that certain elements function as prosodic boundary markers, which provide an aid to efficient language processing. Such elements are distinguished by their acoustic prominence (owing to their non-resonance cues), which is exploited in various ways cross-linguistically.
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| Strategy for Future Research Activity |
During the third year of this project my plan is to continue developing my revised model of Element Theory (ET) as an integrated melodic-prosodic structure. I will gather more cross-linguistic evidence on the use of certain elements as prosodic markers, with the aim of establishing which aspects of this prosodic function are universal and which are subject to parametric variation. For example, evidence is emerging that prosodic markers may be used to identify right-edge boundaries in some (marked) languages (cf. unmarked left-edge domain boundary marking). If this evidence can be verified, it will present a challenge to established conventions on the distribution of prosodic cues.
There are no reasons to change the plan or schedule of my original proposal. However, an interesting development has arisen with regard to the element-based representations I am proposing. Through lively interaction and collaborative work with fellow researchers, I will show how my proposed integration of melody and prosody leads to a unified representation involving recursive structure (i.e. the recursive use of elements at multiple levels of structural embedding). I intend to present my findings on prosodic markers and recursive structure at various international conferences in 2017 and in several established journals.
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| Causes of Carryover |
My spending in the fiscal year 2016 (平成28年) was less than anticipated for several reasons. First, my co-researcher (分担者: Kuniya Nasukawa) did not require the funds from my budget which I had originally set aside for his use. Second, the travel costs and conference fees I incurred during this year were lower than those which I had originally estimated. Third, although my research is progressing well, some areas of this project require further work before they can be finalised in readiness for publishing as conference presentations. One of my planned conference presentations has therefore been arranged for fiscal year 2017 rather than 2016.
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| Expenditure Plan for Carryover Budget |
The additional amount carried over from fiscal 2016 to fiscal 2017 will be used in several ways. First, I intend to set aside additional funds for use by my co-researcher (分担者: Kuniya Nasukawa) according to his own requirements. Second, I plan to attend two additional overseas conferences, both relating to a new line of research which I began to develop during 2016 on the representation of phonological change in Element Theory. The first is 'The History of English in Poznan' (Poland: November 2017) and the second is 'Triggers of Language Change' (France: October 2017).
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