"Umlaut" in optimality theory

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This first book-length study of synchronic umlaut offers a comprehensive comparative analysis of the phonology and morphology of umlaut alternation in present-day German and Chamorro, framed within Optimality Theory. In both languages, umlaut involves local, noniterative vowel fronting at the morphological base's edge. German umlaut is stress-insensitive, morphologically conditioned, and occurs at the right edge of words. In contrast, Chamorro umlaut interacts with stress, is both phonologically and morphologically conditioned, and occurs at the left edge. The analysis provides a fresh perspective on the phonology-morphology interface and the interplay between segmental and metrical structures, with broad cross-linguistic implications. A new conception of morphological conditioning, based on faithfulness and Representation as Pure Markedness, is introduced. This approach posits that the absence of back vowels at the morphological base's edge is crucial for umlaut in both languages. The interaction of Pure Markedness, alignment, faithfulness, and markedness constraints accounts for umlaut phenomena without relying on floating autosegments. Additionally, a detailed examination of Chamorro stress clarifies the umlaut-stress interaction without the need for problematic transderivational correspondence. The extensive field research conducted in Guam and Saipan enriches the documentation of this endangered language.