Most cross-linguistic variation in weight criteria is attributed to the parameterized application of Weight-by-Position adjunction to codas on a language-specific basis (Hayes 1989). This paper explores the hypothesis that coda weight is ultimately predictable from syllable structure. An extensive survey of quantity-sensitive stress systems shows that languages that allow a proportionately larg...

An underlying assumption in terms of sonority distances is that clusters with large are more common than those small distances, as captured the unmarked status and formalized constraints on consonant clusters. A cross-linguistic survey attested 357 languages reveals not most commonly attested. Rather, there a point distance at which largest number When exceeds particular value, starts to decrea...

The human capacity for language is one of the most contentious topics in cognitive science. While some researchers attribute language to domain-general mechanisms, others postulate a specialized language system. When it comes to the phonological component, however, even proponents of domain-specificity concede that specialization is unlikely (Fitch et al., 2005). Phonological competence, in thi...