The contrastive hierarchy in phonology 2009 Dresher.pdf - CUNY ...

6.4. The contrastive hierarchy in OT
Since OT requires a set of interacting constraints that mediate between an input
and an output, we must make some decisions concerning what the input and
output are when it comes to modelling the contrastive hierarchy. 3
6.4.1. Outputs
Let us first consider the output. I will continue to assume that the contrastive
hierarchy specifies only contrastive features, and does not specify redundant
features. For example, given a three-vowel inventory /i, a, u/ and the ordered
binary features [high] > [round], the SDA first divides the inventory into [–high]
and [+high] sets. The [–high] set consists only of /a/, so the assignment of
features to this phoneme stops at this point. The specification of further phonetic
features that characterize /a/, such as [–round], [+back], [+low], and so on, is left
to a later component. 4 The [+high] set, consisting of /i, u/, requires one further
division, effected by [round] in this hierarchy, and other specifications are left for
later. That is, the output of the SDA for the inventory /i, a, u/ consists of the
contrastive specifications in (6.10).
3 This section has been influenced by discussions with Daniel Currie Hall and Sara Mackenzie,
and by studying Mackenzie 2002 and Hall 2007.
4 In this implementation of the contrastive hierarchy in OT I will assume that redundant features
are not present at all in the phonology. Other interpretations of the status of redundant features
are possible; see further §7.9.
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