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The quantitative trochee in Latin

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Abstract

As a paradigm case of syllable weight controlling the place of prosodic prominence within the phonological word, the (ante)penultimate stress pattern of Latin and other languages (e.g., English) has played an important role in the development of modern phonology (Chomsky and Halle 1968, Prince 1976, Halle and Vergnaud 1978, McCarthy 1979, Hayes 1980, etc.). Within Metrical Theory, it has provided one of the prime examples of a foot which is left-prominent (trochaic) and responsive to syllable-internal structure (quantity-sensitive). A number of basic questions regarding the structure of this type of foot are still under discussion (Hayes 1987, 1991, Kager 1989, 1992a, McCarthy and Prince 1986, Halle and Vergnaud 1987, Prince 1990, among others). This paper attempts to advance our understanding of trochaic quantity by focussing on the multiple roles of the foot within the phonological and morphological system of the Latin language. In addressing the central issues of foot minimality and maximality, the paper substantiates a distinction between primary and subsidiary foot formation, develops a notion of structure-changing footing, explores the preference order among quantitative repair strategies, and motivates the need for prosodically-driven lexical selection devices.

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  1. Board of Studies in Linguistics Stevenson College, University of California at Santa Cruz, 95064, Santa Cruz, CA

    R. Armin Mester

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I am indebted to Junko Itô and Alan Prince for many discussions of the issues dealt with in this paper and for numerous suggestions that have shaped both the content and the exposition of this work. For written comments on an earlier version, I am grateful to Henry Churchyard, Stuart Davis, John Goldsmith, Mike Hammond, René Kager, Mike Kenstowicz, Scott Myers, and Harry van der Hulst. Constructive criticisms and helpful suggestions from three NLLT reviewers, as well as discussions with Michele Hart, Roger Higgins, Sharon Inkelas, Jay Jasanoff, René Kager, John McCarthy, Jaye Padgett, Lisa Selkirk, Kari Swingle, and Moira Yip, have led to considerable improvements. Special thanks to Donca Steriade for extensive comments on an earlier version, regarding both theoretical questions and detailed descriptive issues in Latin phonology and morphology. I am indebted to Ellen Broselow both for phonological comments and suggestions and for helpful editorial advice. Some of the material contained herein was presented in class lectures at UC Santa Cruz and in talks and colloquia at UMass/Amherst and at Brandeis, Cornell, Leiden, and Stanford, I would like to thank the audiences present at these occasions for stimulating questions and suggestions. This research was supported in part by a Regents' Junior Faculty Fellowship and by faculty research grants funded by the University of California at Santa Cruz.

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Mester, R.A. The quantitative trochee in Latin. Nat Lang Linguist Theory 12, 1–61 (1994). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00992745

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