1. Lecture 7
Syllable Weight

2. English Word Stress
The account of English stress presented so far only works for a subset of nouns/suffixed adjectives and verbs/unsuffixed adjectives.
This should not come as a surprise as the English stress system is renowned for its complexity.
We will continue investigation, focusing on the effect of syllable structure on stress assignment.

3. Basic Algorithm English stress algorithm:
a. Project syllable heads onto the baseline.
b. Mark the right-most baseline asterisk extrametrical (in nouns and suffixed adjectives only).
c. Construct line 1 by building left-headed feet iteratively from right to left.
d. Construct line 2 by applying End Stress [Right] on line 1.

4. Parameter Settings
The algorithm suggests the following parameter settings, crucially assuming that lexical forms are bare of metrical structure:
English stress parameter settings:
Extrametricality: Yes [right] Nouns
Foot head: Left
Foot construction: Right-to-left
End stress: Right Onto line 1

5. Different Pattern Consider the forms:
nouns verbs/unsuffixed adjectives
agénda (to) recomménd
incéntive (to) incréase
Octóber inténse
Stress falls one syllable further to the right than is predicted by the algorithm.
Why?

6. Applying the Algorithm
Incorporating Line Conflation, that suppresses all feet but the one bearing main stress, the derivations of stress assignment will be as follows:
a g e n d a Input r e c o m mend

7. * * * * * * a g e n d a r e c o m m e n d
Projection
* * * * * *
a g e n d a r e c o m m e n d

8. * * <*> * * * a g e n d a r e c o m m e n d
Extrametricality
* * <*> * * *
a g e n d a r e c o m m e n d

9. * * * (* *) <*> (*) (* *) a g e n d a r e c o m m e n d
Footing
* * *
(* *) <*> (*) (* *)
a g e n d a r e c o m m e n d

10. * * * * * (* *) <*> (*) (* *) a g e n d a r e c o m m e n d
End Stress
* *
* * *
(* *) <*> (*) (* *)
a g e n d a r e c o m m e n d

11. * * (* *) <*> * (* *) a g e n d a r e c o m m e n d
Conflation
* *
(* *) <*> * (* *)
a g e n d a r e c o m m e n d

12. Outputs
*á g e n d a *r e c ó m m e n d

13. Solutions
A noun like agenda can be treated as an exception to the extrametricality clause.
- But, extrametricality does not act upon verbs like recommend.
These forms could be assigned right-headed feet, instead of the normal left-headed feet.
- However, metrical structure is uniform across the board in each language.

14. Syllable Structure
Syllable structure plays a vital part in the construction of the metrical grid.
a.gén.da in.cr[í:]se
in.cén.tive re.co.mménd
Oc.t[].ber in.tén.se
The stressed syllables are HEAVY.
- long nucleus OR
- coda

15. Rime Structure and Stress in English
Rime Structure Stress
Nouns
Penultimate light Antepenultimate
Penultimate heavy Penultimate
Verbs
Final light Penultimate
Final heavy Final

16. ACCENT
The connection between the location of stress and the structure of the rime should be encoded in the grid.
Therefore, the baseline asterisks of heavy rimes are projected onto line 1.
The word ACCENT is commonly used to refer to this projection: *
* * <*> * * <*>
a . g e n . d a  a . g e n . d a  a . g e n . d a
Input Baseline and Accent
Extrametricality

17. Faithfulness Condition
Heads imply constituents and constituents imply heads:
Faithfulness Condition
Each grid constituent has a head (plotted in the line immediately above), and each head has a domain (delimited in the line immediately below).
* Stress line 1
* * <*> * (*) <*> Baseline
a . g e n . d a  a . g e n . d a
Faithfulness

18. Syllable Weight
Recognizing syllable weight will also account for the final stress in verbs and unsuffixed adjectives:
* Stress line 2
* * * Stress line 1
(* *) (*) * * (*) Baseline
re.co.mmend  re.co.mmend
End Stress Conflation

19. Algorithm - update English stress algorithm:
a. Project syllable heads onto the baseline.
b. Mark the right-most baseline asterisk extrametrical (in nouns and suffixed adjectives only).
c. Accent all heavy syllables.
d. Construct line 1 by building left-headed feet iteratively from right to left.
e. Construct line 2 by applying End Stress [Right] on line 1.
f. Delete line 1.

20. Unstressed Final Heavies (Verbs)
Consider the following verbs and unsuffixed adjectives:
de.vé.lop im.plí.cit
i.má.gine en.dé.mic
The final syllables above meet our definition of heavy syllables.
Final heavy syllables attract stress in verbs and unsuffixed adjectives.
Why is the stress penultimate?

21. Word-Final Consonants
We shall assume that the final consonant in English words lies outside the rime.
Therefore:
--- CV-C# --- CVC-C#
(light) (heavy)

22. Word-Final Consonants*
* * * * (* *)
i.ma.gi-ne  NA  i.ma.gi-ne
Accent Footing etc.
* *
* * * * * * * * (*)
re.co.mmen-d  re.co.mmen-d  re.co.mmen-d
Accent Footing etc.

23. Stressed Final Heavies (Nouns)
Consider the following nouns:
chimpanzée enginéer
referée seventéen
magazíne millionáire
These nouns are stressed on the final syllable.
That syllable contains a long vowel.
The assumption is:
- In English, extrametricality is blocked by long vowels but not by coda consonants.

24. Algorithm - update English stress algorithm:
a. Project syllable heads onto the baseline.
b. Mark the right-most baseline asterisk extrametrical (in nouns and suffixed adjectives only) if it dominates a syllable with a simple nucleus.
c. Accent all heavy syllables.
d. Construct line 1 by building left-headed feet iteratively from right to left.
e. Construct line 2 by applying End Stress [Right] on line 1.
f. Delete line 1.

25. Unstressed Final Long Vowels (Nouns)
Consider the following nouns:
búffal[]
mosquít[]
tomát[]
Málib[u:]
These are nouns with long open final syllables which do not exhibit the expected final stress.
The assumption is:
- The vowels are underlyingly short, so they induce extrametricality. After stress has been assigned, they will undergo lengthening.

26. English stress assignment is by no means a simple matter.
Warning
English stress assignment is by no means a simple matter.

27. Formalizing Syllable Weight
Onsets do not contribute to syllable weight.
Only the rime is relevant to the determination of syllable weight.
This, however, does not follow from our present formalism.
The same number of skeletal slots (3) are associated to the syllables: CCV and CVC.

28. Formalizing Syllable Weight
Syllable weight is a function of the number of skeletal slots in the rime:
 
O R O R
N N Cd
X X X X X X
C C V C V C
1X = Light  2X = Heavy 

29. Moras A mora () is a unit of syllable weight.
It is intermediate between the segment and the syllable.
A light syllable is mono-moraic (), and heavy syllable is bi-moraic ().
The replacement of skeletal slots with moras will render the intermediate R and N nods superfluous:
Light Heavy
 
  
C C V C V C

30. Mora Projection What is the source of the moras themselves?
- lexical projection from vowels
Underlying
- structural projection from (coda) consonants
WEIGHT BY POSITION
      
V C V C C V  V C V C C V
WBP

31. Summing up Syllables with branching rimes are defined as heavy.
Heavy syllables attract stress regardless of their position in the word.
To formalize this, the asterisk dominating the heavy syllable is projected onto line 1, a process known as accenting.
This vital step precedes foot construction.
Accented syllables will of necessity head their feet.
This follows from the Faithfulness Condition, which entails that each head corresponds to a constituent and each constituent to some head.
Final consonant extrasyllabicity accounts for the superficially final branching rimes in verbs and unsuffixed adjectives.
Blocking extrametricality by underlying vowel length accounts for nouns with final stress.
The onset plays no part in the calculation of syllable weight.
This leads to an alternative model of syllables, with rime segments attached to moras.

32. Assignment: Key Questions (pages 441 and 494)
Next Week Chapters 15 and 16
Assignment:
Key Questions
(pages 441 and 494)