This book brings together phonologists working in different areas to explore key questions relating to phonological primitives, the basic building blocks that are at the heart of phonological structure and over which phonological computations are carried out. Whether these units are referred to as features, elements, gestures, or something else entirely, the assumptions that are made about them are fundamental to modern phonological theory. Even so, there is limited consensus on the specifics of those assumptions. The chapters in this book present differing perspectives on phonological primitives and their implications, addressing some of the most pressing issues in the field such as how many features there are; whether those features are privative or binary; and whether segments need to be specified for all features. The studies cover a wide range of methodologies and domains, including experimental work, fieldwork, language acquisition, theory-internal concerns, and many more,
and will be of interest to phoneticians and phonologists from all theoretical backgrounds.
About the Author:
Florian Breit, Lecturer in Phonetics and Phonology, University College London, Bert Botma, Lecturer in Phonetics, Phonology, and Morphology, Leiden University Centre for Linguistics, Marijn van 't Veer, Lecturer in Phonetics and Phonology, University of Amsterdam, Marc van Oostendorp, Professor of Dutch and Academic Communication, Radboud University Nijmegen

Florian Breit is Lecturer in Phonetics and Phonology at University College London. His research is mainly concerned with the building blocks of melodic representation and how they may or may not interact with other levels of linguistic representation; he focuses particularly on mutation at the morphosyntax-phonology interface and the representation of voicing and nasality in Element Theory.

Bert Botma is Lecturer in Phonetics, Phonology, and Morphology at the Leiden University Centre for Linguistics. His research areas include segmental phonology, nasals and nasalization processes, and the phonology of Nivkh.

Marijn van 't Veer is Lecturer in Phonetics and Phonology at the University of Amsterdam. In addition to his work on acquisition, he is primarily interested in typology and descriptive phonology, with a special interest in speech sounds that challenge the traditional understanding of natural classes.

Marc van Oostendorp is Senior Researcher at the Meertens Institute of the Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences in Amsterdam and Professor of Dutch and Academic Communication at Radboud University, Nijmegen. He works on derivational and computational aspects of phonological theory and on variational linguistics.