Issues of phonological complexity: Statistical analysis of the relationship between syllable structures, segment inventories and tone contrasts

نویسنده

  • Ian Maddieson
چکیده

It is often suggested that languages are likely to ‘compensate’ complexity in one subsystem by simplicity elsewhere. In this paper evidence against this idea is presented by examining several subsystems of the basic phonology in a set of over 600 languages selected to represent genetic and areal diversity. The relationships between elaboration of the syllable canon, the size of segment inventories and the complexity of tone systems are studied. The languages are grouped into three syllable complexity classes. The ‘simple’ class permits only (C)V patterns. ‘Moderate’ languages allow CC onsets with common structures (those with an approximant or ‘liquid’ as C2) and/or permit a single coda consonant. ‘Complex’ languages allow more elaborate clusters. Languages are also divided into three tonal groupings, those with no tone contrasts, those with simple tone systems (two levels) and those with more elaborate tone systems. Consonant, total vowel and vowel quality inventories are numeric values. There is a significant positive correlation between the complexity of syllable type and size of consonant inventory, but no correlation between syllable complexity and size of total vowel or vowel quality inventories. Consonant and vowel inventory sizes show no correlation with each other. Complex syllable structure shows some association with absence of tone, but none of the other comparisons show that complexity is systematically compensated for by simplicity elsewhere. [work supported by the National Science Foundation through grant BCS-034578.]

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تاریخ انتشار 2005