Courses:

The year-long Introduction to Phonology reviews at the graduate level fundamental notions of phonological analysis and introduces students to current debates, research and analytical techniques. The Fall term reviews issues pertaining to the nature of markedness and phonological representations - features, prosodies, syllables and stress - while the second term deals with the relation between the phonological component and the lexicon, morphology and syntax. The second term course will also treat in more detail certain phonological phenomena.

We would like students to become fluent over the course of the year in at least two modes of analysis: rule-based and constraint-and-ranking-based (Optimality Theoretic) analysis. We are happy to entertain vigorous arguments for and against either type of framework.

• Weekly assignments (ranging from critical exegesis of a paper to analysis of a body of data).
• Weekly readings.
• A squib (analysis or commentary): squib topics due in week #5.

• Kenstowicz, Michael. Phonology in Generative Grammar. Blackwell, 1994.
• McCarthy, John. A Thematic Guide to Optimality Theory. Blackwell, 2002.
• Other readings: see Readings Section.