University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign

Computational Implementation of Underspecification Theories: Kiswahili Example

Evans, Dorothy Eaton

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Description

Title
Computational Implementation of Underspecification Theories: Kiswahili Example
Author(s)
Evans, Dorothy Eaton
Issue Date
1992
Doctoral Committee Chair(s)
Cheng, Chin-Chuan
Department of Study
Linguistics
Discipline
Linguistics
Degree Granting Institution
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
Degree Name
Ph.D.
Degree Level
Dissertation
Keyword(s)
Language, Linguistics
Abstract
  • The differences between Radical Underspecification theory (RUT) and Contrastive Underspecification theory (CUT) have been discussed in the literature (for example Archangeli 1988, Mester and Ito 1989, Dikken and Hulst 1988) comparing various aspects of these theories. This dissertation presents a discussion of a computational implementation of these competing theories. The test case of the Kiswahili phoneme set was given as an example. The computer program, PUCA (Phonological Underspecification Computationally Assisted), implemented in HyperCard 2.0 on the Macintosh computer, provides the user of the program with the opportunity to enter any language's phoneme set and then experiment with different underspecifications of that set, altering the feature set as desired.
  • Chapter 1 provides an introduction to the dissertation. Chapter 2 covers the literature which deals with the phonologies of Kiswahili, Underspecification theories, concentrating on Radical and Contrastive, and computationally implemented phonological rule testers. Chapter 3 provides a description of the course of following the computer program through the process of underspecifying the Kiswahili phoneme set using the feature set suggested by Archangeli and Pulleyblank (1986). Chapter 4 continues the description of PUCA, discussing the overall program design and considers complement rule formation. Chapter 5 presents the results for both RUT and CUT along with a comparison to the results obtained by Treece (1990). Chapter 6 concludes with a discussion of PUCA's current limitations and the future directions for research and the development of the program.
Graduation Semester
1992
Type of Resource
text
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http://hdl.handle.net/2142/72155

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