The diphthongs of Spanish: Stress, syllabification, and alternations

The intricate system of Spanish diphthongs has generated much discussion in Spanish phonology as well as in the development of numerous theories of syllable structure. In this dissertation, it is my claim that many of the difficulties posed by the diphthongs of Spanish can be dispensed with if we assume that they are derived structures rather than primitive syllable types. Falling diphthongs are derived prior to initial stress assignment from two adjacent syllable nuclei, where the second nucleus is (+high). Rising diphthongs are created subsequent to the assignment of stress from a sequence of (+high) vowel followed by an onsetless syllable. Surface differences in the syllabicity of words like Mar(y) o and Maria then, are encoded underlying in terms of stress, rather than in terms of a feature, or a structural property of high vowels. Such a proposal reduces the inventory of Spanish syllable types and allows us to eliminate the feature (syllabic). The Sonority Principle and the two-mora limit per syllable determine syllabic wellformedness. This makes it possible to uphold a maximally simple model of the syllable, with no inner structure.

Name thesis:degree_name

Ph.D.

Level thesis:degree_level

Dissertation

Discipline thesis:degree_discipline

Linguistics

Grantor

University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

Year dc:date

2011

Author dc:creator

• Carreira, Maria Margarita

Contributors dc:contributor

• Kenstowicz, Michael J.

• Language, Linguistics
• Language, Modern

Statement dc:rights

• Copyright 1990 Carreira, Maria Margarita

Language dc:language

eng

Identifier

AAI9026151
(UMI)AAI9026151

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:www.ideals.illinois.edu:2142/22288