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Bao Zhiming

Clash avoidance and metrical opacity in Singapore English

Keywords: stress, Singapore English, stress clash, metrical foot, rhythm

Some word accentuation patterns in Singapore English are metrically opaque with abutting stressed syllables, eg. phònòlógy. Yet words like abacus are metrically transparent, cf. Singapore English abácus vs. English ábacus. I show that phònòlógy and abácus result from the interplay of two metrical derivations, one based on the English (H)σ/(σL)σ typology and the other on the (H)/(σL) typology, a Singapore English innovation. Phònòlógy carries both English (phonólogy) and Singapore English (phònológy) footings. Abácus exhibits the Singapore English footing (-bácus) and the effect of clash avoidance as an active constraint.

STUF – Sprachtypologie und Universalienforschung, Akademie Verlag

Print ISSN: 0942-2919
Volume: 59, 02/2006
Pages: 133 - 147

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