Old Problems, New Approaches, and Optimizing Preferences: A Reply to Ham (1998)

Abstract This paper presents a criticism of Ham's (1998) Optimality Theoretic treatment of West Germanic gemination. Ham attempts to revise Murray and Vennemann's (M & V 1983) analysis in which all cases of gemination are motivated by the sonority profile at syllable contact in accordance with the Syllable Contact Law (SCL). Although Ham accepts the relevance of SCL, he claims that two additional constrains are required. I demonstrate, however, that neither constraint can be motivated for the grammar of West Germanic. Indeed, from a diachronic perspective the only function of the additiona... Mehr ...