On the phonological structure of /i/-suffixed English nicknames

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Mark Van Dam

Abstract

This paper begins with a thorough description of i-suffixed English nicknames and the issues that are relevant to the description of their phonological structure. Drawing on previous works by Weeda (1992), Ito and Mester (1997), Davis (2000), and Simpson (2002) many examples are shown as well as an Optimality-Theoretic analysis of the data. It is argued that nickname formations elucidate English syllable structure. Broadly, coda consonants are shown to respect the sonority sequencing principle. However, coda obstruents are shown to be exceptional in some specific ways--especially with regard to /st/ sequences.

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