On deriving sonority: a structural account of sonority relationships

Abstract

In this paper, I examine sonority and place of articulation constraints on the syllabification of consonants in clusters. I argue that (i) both sonority and place of articulation relationships are important in determining the syllabification of consonants in clusters, (ii) well-formed sonority and place relationships are detectable both through phonotactics and through repair strategies that apply if the constraints on sonority and place are not met, (iii) sonority and place constraints are both structurally determined and (iv) place of articulation does not form part of the sonority relationship between consonants as the structural conditions for the licensing of sonority and for the licensing of place of articulation may differ (see Clements 1990a: 313). However, place of articulation restrictions, while independent of sonority restrictions, are, like sonority restrictions, structurally defined.