186 TOPICS IN HISPANIC LINGUISTICS
NEW TRENDS AND TOPICS IN ROMANCE PHONOLOGY
Fall 2002 – 12:00 -12:50 MWF Phelps 1160
Prof. Viola Miglio
Prerequisite: Sp. 100 (introductory Spanish linguistics course)
Language: The course is taught in English for this semester only
How to contact me: please use email if at all possible (miglio@spanport.ucsb.edu), or
call me at my office (office #4328 in Phelps Hall, tel.: (805) 893 7423).
I will post office hours as soon as my timetable is better defined, and you should try and
see me during those hours or – if you really can’t make it then – contact me and set up an
appointment.
Textbook: There is a READING PACKET available at the Campus Bookstore (or at least
it should be available soon), made up of the following materials in English:
1) O’Grady, W., M. Dobrovolsky, M. Aronoff. 1997. Contemporary Linguistics.
published by St. Martin’s Press (New York). Part of Chps. 8, 9, 14.
2) John A. Goldsmith (ed). 1995. The handbook of phonological theory. Cambridge,
Mass., USA : Blackwell. Chp. 20 (Brentari) and 21 (Kiparsky).
3) Blake, R., D. Ranson, and R. Wright. 1999. Essays in Hispanic Linguistics dedicated
to Paul M. Lloyd. Juan de la Cuesta: Newark: Delaware. (Penny, Craddock, Ranson,
Wireback).
4) Holt, E. The role of comprehension, reinterpretation and the Uniformity Condition in
historical change: the case of the development of Cl clusters from Latin to HispanoRomance. paper presented ad WCFFL in 1997.
Overview of the course: The course is intended for students who only have an
introductory course in linguistics as background, and will ideally include a revision of
their knowledge of basic phonetics, phonology, some more advanced phonology such as
autosegmental and OT (applied to Romance languages), notions of language change and
historical reconstruction, a comparison of the phonological systems of (some) Romance
languages, some synchronic phenomena in modern Romance languages (such as vowel
reduction and vowel deletion), and evolution of (some) Romance languages from Latin.
If we have time I would also like to talk about phonology of signed languages at the end
of the course.
By the end of the course you should be able to:
- describe and transcribe sounds correctly.
- know the basic physiology of sound production and phenomena that lead to
language change.
- understand the basic differences between different phonological models and be
able to apply them as well as read specialized papers on phonology of Romance.
- have a good grasp of mechanismsm of language change and its “motivations”.
- know the main phonological characteristics of Latin and of some Romance
languages (those seen in class)
- know the basic evolution from Latin to Romance.
Evaluation: 10% presenting one of the papers in the reading packet in class, 40% a paper
on a subject of your choice + a class presentation of it, 50% final.
This is the breakdown of classes, there may be changes as we go along – an updated
version will always be found at:
http://www.spanport.ucsb.edu/classes
Week
Date
Topic
Read
1
9/27
Romance Languages:
notes
introduction
2
9/30
on web
and
comparisons
10/2
10/4
Brief history and explanation of Romance distribution
Phonetics –
3
10/7
loose
Revision
10/9
copies
10/11 Phonology: features, description
from
4
10/14 Natural classes
O´Gra
Solving exercises
dy et al
10/16 Syllable Structure - Exercises on Canadian French
10/18 Language Change
Ch. 8
bound
5
10/21
copies
10/23
10/25 Change and reconstruction / families
6
10/28 Kiparsky: second reading in packet
booklet
10/30 Romance Languages – comparisons
11/1
7
11/4
SUBMIT PAPER PROPOSAL
11/6
11/8
8
11/11 New trends – Other models after linear phonology
11/13 Autosegmental and OT
11/15
9
11/18 Latin
11/20
11/22
10
11/25 Evolution from Latin to Romance
11/27
11/29
11
12/2
12/4
Signed Languages
12/6
12
12/9
REVIEW – preparing for the exam