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Ann Denwood

A CVCV template for Turkish

In this article several aspects of Turkish phonology, including k-zero, vowel-zero and vowel length alternations, are analyzed using a four-position template. The inaudibility of a template-final position is attributed to its weakness within the hierarchical structure of the template. There is historical evidence for loss of melody and wearing down of template edges to the extent that some initial and final consonant slots are missing from the structure, making the origins of many words unrecognizable. Nevertheless, the template remains an active constituent in word formation, playing its part as a parsing cue and in accommodating loan words into the phonology of the language. Although it frequently coincides with a morphological domain, the template is a constituent not unlike a syllable.

The Linguistic Review, Walter de Gruyter

Print ISSN: 0167-6318
Volume: 23, 12/2006
Pages: 465 - 504

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