Sympathy and Positional Faithfulness

Abstract

It has been observed in the literature that certain positions and segment types- which may be considered perceptually prominent- are more resistant to phonological changes, compared to less prominent counterparts. For instance, prevocalic consonants are rarely targeted in place assimilation, compared to preconsonantal ones. For a formal analysis of such asymmetries within the framework of Optimality Theory, Positional Faithfulness has been invoked as a main mechanism. In the present study, based on the discussion of consonant deletion typology, I will first show that the perceptibility differences motivating the projection of Positional Faithfulness constraints cannot be captured in the standard Positional Faithfulness approach, regardless of whether the constraints refer to the output or input. I will then propose an alternative approach based on the one adopting the formal mechanism of Sympathy Theory (McCarthy 1998, 1999).