Onsets by Nina Topintzi

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Summary

The concept of the 'onset', i.e. the consonant(s) before the vowel of a syllable, is critical within phonology. In this book Nina Topintzi presents a new theory of onsets, arguing for their fundamental role in the structure of language both in the underlying and surface representation, unlike previous assumptions.

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Onsets by Nina Topintzi

The concept of the 'onset', i.e. the consonant(s) before the vowel of a syllable, is critical within phonology. While phonologists have examined the segmental behaviour of onsets, their prosodic status has instead been largely overlooked. In fact, most previous accounts have stipulated that onsets are insignificant when it comes to the 'heaviness' of syllables. In this book Nina Topintzi presents a new theory of onsets, arguing for their fundamental role in the structure of language both in the underlying and surface representation, unlike previous assumptions. To capture the weight behaviour of onsets, a novel account is proposed that relates their interaction with voicing, tone and stress. Using numerous case-studies and data from a variety of languages and phenomena (including stress, compensatory lengthening, gemination and word minimality), the book introduces a model that reflects the true behaviour of onsets, demonstrating profound implications for syllable and weight theories.
' the book is well written and very readableIt is a significant and welcome contribution to the field.' The Journal of Phonology
Nina Topintzi is a Teaching Fellow in the School of English at Aristotle University of Thessaloniki.
SKU Unavailable
ISBN 13 9780521493352
ISBN 10 0521493358
Title Onsets
Author Nina Topintzi
Series Cambridge Studies In Linguistics
Condition Unavailable
Binding Type Hardback
Publisher Cambridge University Press
Year published 2010-04-08
Number of pages 284
Cover note Book picture is for illustrative purposes only, actual binding, cover or edition may vary.