The concept of the 'onset', i.e. the consonant(s) before the vowel of a syllable, is critical within phonology. While phonologists have examined the segmental behaviour of onsets, their prosodic status has instead been largely overlooked. In fact, most previous accounts have stipulated that onsets are insignificant when it comes to the 'heaviness' of syllables. In this book Nina Topintzi presents a new theory of onsets, arguing for their fundamental role in the structure of language both in the underlying and surface representation, unlike previous assumptions. To capture the weight behaviour of onsets, a novel account is proposed that relates their interaction with voicing, tone and stress. Using numerous case-studies and data from a variety of languages and phenomena (including stress, compensatory lengthening, gemination and word minimality), the book introduces a model that reflects the true behaviour of onsets, demonstrating profound implications for syllable and weight theories.

This book presents a new theory of onsets, arguing for their fundamental role in the structure of language.

About the Author
Nina Topintzi is a Teaching Fellow in the School of English at Aristotle University of Thessaloniki.

Reviews
'... the book is well written and very readable. ... It is a significant and welcome contribution to the field.' The Journal of Phonology



Book Information
ISBN 9780521493352
Author Nina Topintzi
Format Hardback
Page Count 284
Imprint Cambridge University Press
Publisher Cambridge University Press
Weight(grams) 600g
Dimensions(mm) 235mm * 160mm * 19mm