LING5303: Phonological Theory II

This course continues the work of LING 5302 by introducing students to advanced topics in three interconnected areas: contrast and lexical phonology, contrast and metrical stress theory, and contrast and morphophonology. The seminar treats contrast as a central organizing principle in phonological systems and explores how phonological grammars preserve, neutralize, and reorganize contrasts across languages. In Part I, students examine contrast and lexical phonology through topics such as language games, vowel harmony, truncations, chain shifts, and derived environment effects. In Part II, students examine metrical stress theory, with particular attention to stress, epenthesis, and their formal interaction. In Part III, students investigate morphophonology through reduplication, palatalization, sound symbolism, and related patterns at the interface of phonology and morphology. Throughout all three parts of the course, students read and evaluate original phonological research, compare competing analyses, and strengthen their ability to construct and assess formal arguments. The course also emphasizes hands-on phonological analysis and the development of independent research questions. Over the semester, students will develop an individual research project in phonology that engages course themes and relevant scholarship. Prerequisite: Ling 5001 or instructor permission

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