Dolatian, Hossep, Aniello De Santo, and Thomas Graf

Abstract This paper investigates bounds on the generative capacity of prosodic processes, by focusing on the complexity of recursive prosody in coordination contexts in English (Wagner, 2010). Although all phonological processes and most prosodic processes are computationally regular string languages, we show that recursive prosody is not. The output string language is instead parallel multiple context-free (Seki et al., 1991). We evaluate the complexity of the pattern over strings, and then move on to a characterization over trees that requires the expressivity of multi bottom-up tree transducers. In doing so, we provide a foundation for future mathematically grounded investigations of the syntax-prosody interface.

Files [pdf]

@InProceedings{DolatianEtAl21Sigmorphon,
  title = {Recursive Prosody is not Finite-State},
  author={Dolatian, Hossep and De Santo, Aniello and Graf, Thomas},
  year={2021},
  booktitle = {Proceedings of {SIGMORPHON} 2021},
  pages = {11--22},
  doi = {10.18653/v1/2021.sigmorphon-1.2},
  openaccess = {gold},
}

More Output

Recursive Prosody Is Not Finite-State

Sun 15 March 2026 | in Presentations |
| prosody | coordination | transductions | generative capacity |

Dolatian, Hossep, Aniello De Santo, and Thomas Graf

Abstract This paper investigates bounds on the generative capacity of prosodic processes, by focusing on the complexity of recursive prosody in coordination contexts in English (Wagner, 2010). Although all phonological processes and most prosodic processes are computationally …
read more
Trees Probe Deeper Than Strings: An Argument from Allomorphy

Sun 15 March 2026 | in Papers |
| prosody | coordination | transductions | generative capacity |

Dolatian, Hossep, Shiori Ikawa, and Thomas Graf

Abstract This paper investigates bounds on the generative capacity of prosodic processes, by focusing on the complexity of recursive prosody in coordination contexts in English (Wagner, 2010). Although all phonological processes and most prosodic processes are computationally regular …
read more
Why There Must Be Exceptions to Principle B

Sat 14 April 2012 | in Presentations |
| binding | formal universals | typology | Principle B | coordination |

Graf, Thomas

Abstract Recent Minimalist thinking has been strongly influenced by the idea that some universals may be due to factors outside the language faculty, in particular limited computational resources (Chomsky 2005). In combination with recent results on Stablerian Minimalist grammars (Stabler 1997, Graf 2011 …
read more

More Output

links

contact