Formally mapping the typologies of interacting ABCD systems

Abstract

The theory of surface correspondence has been the focus of much recent work (e.g. Shih & Inkelas 2014, Faytak 2014, Akinlabi & Iacoponi 2015, etc.). Most of this work on 'ABCD' falls along two avenues: analyzing consonant harmony as Agreement By Correspondence (Rose & Walker 2004, Hansson 2010, etc.), and using the same mechanism to handle Dissimilation (Walker 2000, Bennett 2013). Using recent advances in the understanding of formal OT typologies (Alber, et al. 2015), this paper analyzes the typologies of three ABCD systems, as a step towards a generalized solution to how any combination of ABCD systems can interact.