Opacity and German glide formation

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T. A. Hall

Abstract

German Glide Formation converts /i/ to [j] before vowels, e.g., Spanien /ʃpaːniən/ ® [ʃpaːnjən] Spain, but the rule is consistently blocked in neologisms containing the suffix esk, e.g., hippiesk [hɪpiɛsk]/*[hɪpjɛsk]. It is argued below that these opaque examples follow from a requirement that the stem in a derived word must be identical to the unaffixed base. The base in such examples will be shown to be a free-standing morpheme as opposed to a bound root. The analysis proposed will be shown to be supported in additional examples in which Glide Formation is blocked to the [i] preceding the suffix aner, but only if the suffix follows a free-standing morpheme, e.g., Schumianer [ʃuːmiaːnɐ] / *[ʃuːmjaːnɐ] adherent of Schumi (Michael Schumacher)

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