Re: Syllable Structure, Syllable Weight, Rhythm, Stress

On Tue, Jul 15, 2008 at 12:08 PM, Eldin Raigmore <eldin_raigmore@...>
wrote:

If primary stress is assigned from the "left", and secondary stress is also
> distributed from the "left", what mechanisms are there for handling what
> might
> happen if primary stress and secondary stress would otherwise be assigned
> to
> the same syllable?
>
> Likewise, if primary stress is assigned from the "right", and secondary
> stress is
> also distributed from the "right", what mechanisms are there for handling
> what
> might happen if primary stress and secondary stress would otherwise be
> assigned to the same syllable?
>
> Are these less of a problem if primary stress is weight-sensitive but
> secondary
> stress is weight-insensitive, or vice-versa?

A useful way to think of it is that stress rules locate the position of
primary stress and then reckon secondaries from that point. So there needn't
be a conflict. In fact, for many stress systems, you can think of the stress
rules as assigning undifferentiated stresses across a domain (the
phonological word). One of these stresses--usually the left- or rightmost
stress--is then "promoted" to main word stress. Here's an example. In
Southern Paiute, stresses are assigned to the syllables containing
even-numbered moras counting from the left. The leftmost stressed syllable
bears main word stress.

Are they less of a problem if primary stress is assigned toward the "right"
> but
> secondary stress is distributed from the "left", or vice-versa?
>
This is where you will get potential conflict, but the problem won't be that
the stress rules assign both secondary and primary stress to the same
syllable. The problem will be that *adjacent* syllables are assigned stress.
In the industry this is known as stress "clash". Some languages tolerate
clash, others do not. If a language doesn't tolerate stress clash, it is the
secondary stress that gives way.

Dirk
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