Harmonic Uniformity and Hungarian front/back harmony Cover Image

Harmonic Uniformity and Hungarian front/back harmony
Harmonic Uniformity and Hungarian front/back harmony

Author(s): Péter Rebrus, Miklós Törkenczy
Subject(s): Language studies
Published by: Akadémiai Kiadó
Keywords: Hungarian; front/back harmony; variation; neutral vowels; Count Effect; Height Effect; Polysyllabic Split; Harmonic Uniformity; paradigm uniformity; harmonic domains; morphology-phonology interaction

Summary/Abstract: In the paper we argue against the traditional assumption about the relationship between morphology and harmony in Hungarian according to which monomorphemic and polymorphemic (suffixed) forms behave in the same way harmonically within the domain of harmony. We show that the harmonic properties of the root are inherited by morphologically complex forms based on the root and this can override the phonological restrictions on harmony. We propose an Optimality Theory analysis of the interaction between the phonological constraints on harmony and the paradigm uniformity constraint Harmonic Uniformity.

  • Issue Year: 68/2021
  • Issue No: 1-2
  • Page Range: 175-206
  • Page Count: 32
  • Language: English