Projective Feature Geometry: a Case Study in Korean Assimilation

Abstract

The Korean assimilation observed in §2 (and §4) is explained as the combined effects of the two independent rules: (52) Rule 1. Spread CONT to the left. Rule 2. Spread NASAL Rule 1 is asymmetric and unidirectional. The unidirectionality is empirically dictated, by the fact that the sonorant (and spirant) assimilation does not apply progressively. However, this fact is a manifestation of the universal tendency that the succeeding onset may not be more sonorant than the preceding coda: the Syllable Contact Law cited by Iverson and Sohn (1992:81). Rule 2 is symmetric and non-directional; the direction is determined by the context of application. The rule functions (i) as assimilation between consonants in the consonantal context, thus as nasalization as in (41) as well as spirantization (40), and (ii) as assimilation between sonorants (ii-a) as lateralization in the sonorant context, (ii-a.1) either derived (43) or (ii-a.2) underlying (45), (47) and also (ii-b) as nasalization (failed latelarization) due to the intervention of structure preservation (44), (46) and, finally, (iii) the rule fails to cause assimilation due to conflicting forces among the two assimilation rules and the structure preservation constraint (48). Let us also note that no assimilation takes place in the sequence of a sonorant followed by an obstruent. The sequence NQ is affected neither by Rule 1 nor by Rule 2. It is not affected by Rule 1, because it spreads only to the left; it is not affected by Rule 2, because NASAL linked to Q to the right is delinked due to structure preservation: no nasal obstruent can exist in the lexicon. Neither Rule 1 nor Rule 2 affects LQ.