THE CUNY PHONOLOGY FORUM WORKSHOP ON FEATURES IN PHONOLOGICAL THEORY

March 10-11, 2005

Feature theory is central to an understanding of how phonological objects are represented. The Workshop on Feature Theory was designed to focus on basic representational aspects of features and the kinds of evidence relevant to deciding on feature systems. The Workshop consisted of a productive, open interchange between two senior scholars who have worked extensively in feature theory, whose perspectives are different enough to be provocative, and are similar enough to promote productive discussion. Professors Elan Dresher and Nick Clements conducted a workshop on features during a two day period in the Spring of 2005.

Professor Clements' paper is entitled: Design Features of Vowel Systems: The Role of Feature Economy. It is a complement to his chapter The Role of Features in Phonological Inventories, in Architecture and Representations, which illustrates his ideas in connection with consonants.

The handout for Professor Dresher's paper, Feature Hierarchies and Contrast in Vowel Harmony, is here. Two other papers also define and illustrate Dresher's approach to feature systems:

   Contrast and Phonological Activity in the Nez Perce Vowel System, Sara MacKenzie and B. Elan Dresher.

   Contrast and Phonological Activity in Manchu Vowel Systems, B. Elan Dresher and Xi Zhang.

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