The evolution of sibilants in Polish and Russian

Authors

  • Jaye Padgett
  • Marzena Zygis

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.21248/zaspil.32.2003.190

Abstract

In this paper we provide an account of the historical development of Polish and Russian sibilants. The arguments provided here are of theoretical interest because they show that (i) certain allophonic rules are driven by the need to keep contrasts perceptually distinct, (ii) (unconditioned) sound changes result from needs of perceptual distinctiveness, and (iii) perceptual distinctiveness can be extended to a class of consonants, i.e. the sibilants. The analysis is cast within Dispersion Theory by providing phonetic and typological data supporting the perceptual distinctiveness claims we make.

 

Downloads

Published

2003

How to Cite

Padgett, Jaye, and Marzena Zygis. 2003. “The Evolution of Sibilants in Polish and Russian”. ZAS Papers in Linguistics 32 (January):155-74. https://doi.org/10.21248/zaspil.32.2003.190.