In the approach to inflection adopted here, the realisation of any component of the phonological structure can be determined by morphosyntactic features. The idiosyncratic noun Medikus, for example, which has the plural form Medici, could be represented thus:
Medikus:
<> == Disyllable
<phn syl2 onset> == m
<phn syl2 peak> == e:
<phn syl1 onset> == d
<phn syl1 peak> == i:
<phn syl1 coda> == k
<phn syl1 coda plur> == ts.
This immediately yields the distinction between singular and plural
stems that is required for this word:
Medikus:
<phn root form sing> = m e: d i: k
<phn root form plur> = m e: d i: ts.
This aspect of the approach can also be usefully illustrated by the core component of a treatment of the inflectional phonology of the definite article and relative pronoun forms:
Der:
<> == Strong_2
<phn syl1 onset> == d
<phn syl1 peak> == e
<phn syl1 peak nom sing femn> == i:
<phn syl1 peak nom sing neut> == a
<phn syl1 peak gen sing masc> == E.
This says that the phonology of Der is determined (by default) by inheritance from the Strong_2 declension; that Der's onset is d; that its (default) peak is e; but that the nominative singular feminine and neuter peaks are i: and a respectively and the genitive singular masculine peak is E.
The most widely discussed stem alternation in German is umlaut. This occurs in both nouns and verbs with identical phonological consequences but the morphosyntactic conditioning is different for the two parts of speech. For nouns, what needs to be said can be glossed as follows: ``The peak of the stem undergoes umlaut if it occurs (i) in a noun that is morphosyntactically marked for umlaut, and (ii) in a plural form of the lexeme. Otherwise the peak is left unchanged''. Expressing this in DATR , we get:
UNoun:
<> == Noun
<phn syl1 form> == "<phn syl1 onset>"
IF:<AND:<"<mor umlaut>" PLURAL>
THEN Umlaut:<"<phn syl1 peak>">
ELSE "<phn syl1 peak>">
"<phn syl1 coda>".
Exercise 6036
Provide a lexical entry for the German noun Kaktus.
Exercise 6037
By analogy with the statement of morphosyntactic conditioning on umlaut in nouns, formulate a comparable statement for verbs.
Exercise 6038
What claim does UNoun make about polysyllabic nouns? Is the claim correct? If not, exhibit counterexamples.
Exercise 6039
What does the Strong_2 declension need to be if the lexical entry given for Der is to deliver the appropriate results?
