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Palatalization and Utilization of Contrast

其他書名	An Information-theoretic Investigation of Palatalization in Russia
出版	Ohio State University, 2013
URL	http://books.google.com.hk/books?id=As14oAEACAAJ&hl=&source=gbs_api

註釋I show that velars before non-front vowels minimally utilize contrast in two ways: they exhibit contrast in only one context, and only a limited number of lexical items exhibit the contrast in that context. I also show that contrastive consonants for which both palatalized and non-palatalized consonants exist with the same voicing, place and manner of articulation (paired consonants), vary greatly in the extent to which they utilize their contrasts word-finally. I show that this gradience has clear parallels in perception and production, suggesting that utilization of contrast, not just contrast itself, is a key factor for speakers. Labials, which exhibit a low degree of contrast word-finally, suffer from low levels of accuracy during perception and where a palatalized labial is expected a non-palatalized labial is sometimes produced. Lastly, I show that the level of contrast between palatalized and non-palatalized dentals before palatalized dentals and labials has been changing in Russian. All dentals are said to have been palatalized before palatalized dentals and labials, an effect of regressive palatalization. However, regressive palatalization has declined in contemporary Russian, resulting in a new possibility of contrast for dentals before palatalized dentals and labials. I present new empirical data which suggests that the majority of targets of regressive palatalization are no longer palatalized in productions of contemporary speakers. This suggests that while the previous neutralization of contrast in this context has been eroded, the contrast has not been utilized systematically, as it is in other contexts, e.g. word-finally. Instead, the contrast between palatalized and non-palatalized dentals before palatalized dentals and labials have shifted from being neutralized to being (largely) non-utilized in this context.