›Umlaut‹ in Optimality Theory

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<p>In this first book-length study of synchronic <i>umlaut</i>, a comprehensive comparative analysis of the phonology and morphology of the <i>umlaut</i> alternation in present-day German and the Austronesian language Chamorro is presented in the framework of Optimality Theory. <i>Umlaut</i> in German and Chamorro is local and noniterative vowel fronting at the edge of a morphological base. <i>Umlaut</i> in German is stress-insensitive, morphologically conditioned, and takes place at the right edge of words, whereas Chamorro <i>umlaut</i> interacts significantly with stress, is phonologically and morphologically conditioned and takes place at the left edge of words. The account of German and Chamorro <i>umlaut</i> presented in this book results in a fresh perspective of the phonology-morphology interface and the interaction between segmental and metrical structure with wide cross-linguistic implications. A new conception of morphological conditioning based on morphological faithfulness and Representation as Pure Markedness is developed. Given this approach, I propose that the requirement that there is no back vowel at the edge of the morphological base plays a fundamental role in German and Chamorro <i>umlaut</i>. It is demonstrated how the interaction of Pure Markedness desiderata and alignment, faithfulness and markedness constraints accounts for German and Chamorro <i>umlaut</i> without floating autosegments. Moreover, a careful analysis of Chamorro stress is able to explain the <i>umlaut</i>-stress interaction without the previously necessary, yet problematic transderivational correspondence relation. The Chamorro data collected for this study through extensive field research on Guam and Saipan contribute significantly to the documentation of this endangered language.</p>