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In:Perspectives on Phonological Theory and Development: In honor of Daniel A. Dinnsen
Edited by Ashley W. Farris-Trimble and Jessica A. Barlow
[Language Acquisition and Language Disorders 56] 2014
► pp. 223–248

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Superadditivity and limitations on syllable complexity in Bambara words

 | University of Maryland – CASL and Indiana University
 | University of Maryland – CASL and Indiana University
Published online: 29 April 2014
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https://doi.org/10.1075/lald.56.17gre
This paper explores superadditivity effects in natural language by considering three interrelated phenomena in Colloquial Bambara (CB). The premise of superadditivity is that although marked structures are accommodated in a system, particular structures cannot co-occur in a given domain. This arises because the simultaneous, additive violation of constraints within a domain arguably incurs an additional penalty. Thus, languages may limit the number of phonologically complex structures in a domain. We consider superadditivity in CB, which places strict limitations on the type and distribution of complex syllables within a word. We also discuss these data as they relate to models of phonological acquisition which maintain that outright bans on multiple complex structures do not occur in adult language yet are frequently encountered in developing languages.
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Cited by (2)

Cited by two other publications

Breiss, Canaan & Adam Albright
2022. Cumulative markedness effects and (non-)linearity in phonotactics. Glossa: a journal of general linguistics 7:1 DOI logo
Shih, Stephanie S.
2017. Constraint conjunction in weighted probabilistic grammar. Phonology 34:2 ► pp. 243 ff. DOI logo

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