Positional Neutralization - Linguistics - University of California ...

Furthermore, the relationship of phonetic prominence to phonological strength is
not a simple one. Patterns of phonological strength may arise which bear no obvious
relationship to the quality of the phonetic cues for that contrast in question in position
(laxness in Pasiego Spanish, nasalization in Nanai, final dominance in Timugon Murut),
and likewise contrasts may collapse due to the addition of properties such as duration,
which are otherwise thought to enhance the perceptibility of the contrasts in question
(Smith’s Positional Augmentation - here potentially instantiated in final lowering). It is
by no means obvious, however, that the synchronic status and implementation of a
pattern of phonological strength that is not supported by the robustness of its
characteristic cues in final position (Nanai nasalization, Timugon final-syllable super-
licensing, Pasiego laxing) is in any way different or less authentic than a pattern that is
supported by such phonetic cues. I will take up the implications of these complications
for theories of positional neutralization again in Chapter 5.
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