Applying the framework of the Prosodic Model to naturalistic data, this book presents a systematic study of the phonological structure of Shanghai Sign Language (SHSL). It examines the handshape inventory of SHSL in terms of its underlying featural specifications, phonetic realization and phonological processes such as assimilation, epenthesis, deletion, coalescence, non-dominant hand spread and weak drop. The authors define the role of the prosodic hierarchy in SHSL and analyze the linguistic functions of non-manual markers. This systematic investigation not only contributes to our understanding of SHSL itself, but also informs typological research on sign languages in the world.
This volume offers a theory of phonological structure which pays particular attention to the representation of 'complex segments', such as affricates. The first two chapters are concerned with the primitives needed to express place of articulation in phonological segments. In chapters 3 and 4 the relevance of complex segments to phonological theory is discussed from a general perspective. Chapter 3 also provides a general formalisation of complexity in segmental phonology, namely as branching in the segmental structure. Chapter 5 is concerned with the structure of the other phonological dimension that is investigated, namely manner. The second part of the volume deals with specific studies of segmental complexity on the place and the manner dimension, respectively: chapter 6 is concerned with place complexity, and chapters 7-9 with manner complexity. Chapter 7 deals with affricates, chapter 8 with prenasalised stops and chapter 9 with /s/ plus stop clusters. Chapter 10, finally, discusses a category of segments which combine two root nodes under a single timing position, such as consonants with secondary articulation and short diphthongs.
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