PERSISTENCE OF THE LATIN ACCENT IN THE NOMINAL ...

violations automatically disqualifies candidate A and is signaled by ! in the corresponding cell of
the tableau. A dotted vertical line divides constraints that do not have a hierarchical relationship.
Lower level constraints that are violated but do not figure in computation are designated by
shaded cells in the tableau. The optimal candidate, the one with no disqualifying (!) violations,
is signaled by . In the following sections two major aspects of OT are examined, the
architecture of the syllable and metrical constraints. These have a direct relationship to the
evolving accentual patterns of Latin and the Ibero-Romance languages.
Architecture of the Syllable
At the level of the syllable one can envision constraints that arise from the assumption
that CV represents summum bonum. Possible syllable types are summarized in Table 1-3 (based
on Prince and Smolensky 2004, 105). The shaded cells represent optional configurations with
regard to onset (1B, 2B) and codas (2A, 2B) whereas the unshaded cell represents the ideal
syllable, CV, which requires an onset and forbids a coda. The ranking of the constraints, relative
to other constraints such as FAITH, faithfulness to input, is unpredictable and language specific.
Table 1-3. Possible syllable types
Required
Onsets
Not required
Forbidden 1 Σ CV Σ (C)V
Codas
Allowed 2
CV(C)
Σ
(C)V(C)
Σ
A B
The distinctiveness of each language rests on these factorial typologies, that is, the relative
ranking of constraints in order to produce the optimal candidate. With regard to the universal
preference for CV syllable structure, Archangeli (1999, 534-535) suggests that there are four
universal constraints that define the canonical syllable. The fact that violations of these
constraints are widely attested but differ from language to language illustrates the efficacy of OT
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