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Markedness in Urban East Norwegian tonal accent

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  08 May 2006

Gjert Kristoffersen
Gjert Kristoffersen
Affiliation:
University of Bergen, Department of Scandinavian Languages & Literature, Sydnesplassen 7, NO-5007 Bergen, Norway. E-mail: Gjert.Kristoffersen@nor.uib.no
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Abstract

A new formal analysis of the tonal accent contrast in Urban East Norwegian (UEN) is developed in this paper, based on Optimality Theory. Contrary to the widespread assumption that the contrast is based on privativity, this paper represents a return to the position that the contrast derives from different timing of a common underlying melody. Surface privativity, i.e. the absence vs. the presence of an H that can be observed in the contrast between accent 1 and 2 in UEN is analysed as the result of marked (accent 1) vs. unmarked (accent 2) association of a common tonal input. The marked status of accent 1 follows from lexical pre-linking, protected by high-ranking faithfulness, which overrides (unmarked) association driven by the markedness constraints alone.

Keywords

accent 1 & 2lexical accentmarkednessNorwegiantone
Type
Research Article
Information
Nordic Journal of Linguistics , Volume 29 , Issue 1 , June 2006 , pp. 95 - 135
Copyright
2006 Cambridge University Press

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