1

Quantity(sensitivity,in,Modern,OT ,
Hope%McManus%<hope.mcmanus@rutgers.edu>.%Rutgers%University.%
May%2015%
,
Introduction
Prince (1990) proposes the WEIGHT-TO-STRESS PRINCIPLE (WSP) in (1), based on evidence that some languages
have quantity-sensitive stress: a language is quantity-sensitive if it makes a distinction between Heavy (H) syllables
and Light (L) syllables, avoiding unstressed H syllables. In an OT system for quantity-sensitive stress, the prosodic
Markedness constraint WSP, defined in (2), interacts with other constraints, producing a language typology that
shows one or more phonological contrasts characterizing quantity-sensitivity. Alber (1999) shows that several
constraint interactions exist involving WSP, entailing the existence of languages that are partially quantity-sensitive,
with unstressed H syllables being avoided in some contexts, but not in others.
(1) WSP (Prince 1990). 'If heavy, then stressed.' (Contraposed: 'If unstressed, then light.')
(2) WSP (OT constraint definition; c.f Alber 1999). 'Return a violation for each unstressed H syllable.'
This paper analyzes the structure of a typology for nGX.WSP, an abstract OT system for quantity-sensitive stress. It
demonstrates the effects of including the constraint, WSP, as defined in (2), identifying the full set of WSP
interactions that characterize quantity-sensitivity in the system. The base for this system is nGX (Alber and Prince to
appear), an OT system for quantity-insensitive stress, chosen because its full typology is known and well-studied.
nGX.WSP takes nGX and modifies it minimally, allowing the effects of WSP to be observed: the input distinguishes
H and L syllables (nGX lacks a quantity distinction); CON includes every prosodic Markedness constraint of nGX,
in addition to WSP. The analysis of the nGX.WSP typology assumes that ranking conditions are 'properties' within
the terms of Property Theory (Alber and Prince to appear; Alber, DelBusso and Prince 2015).
Overview of Argument: Quantity-Sensitivity in nGX.WSP
In nGX.WSP, quantity-sensitivity covers the set of contrasts identified in (3). A language is fully quantity-sensitive
when every H syllable is stressed. A language is partially quantity-sensitive when it avoids an unstressed H by
having a misaligned foot or a foot of the foot type opposite to an LL foot, while it does not require that every H is
stressed. This result accords with Alber (1999), showing that the existence of partially quantity-sensitive languages
follows from the theory. A language is quantity-insensitive when it does not meet the conditions of being fully or
partially quantity-sensitive. In the analysis, 4 properties include WSP in their ERC characterization (in Figure 1 (p.5),
Properties 2.1, 2.2, 2.3, 2.5); these properties characterize quantity-sensitivity in the system, producing the effects of
WSP. In addition, 7 properties involving the nGX set of constraints are required to produce every contrast of the
typology, including the 4 properties of nGX, the smaller, quantity-insensitive stress system contained within
nGX.WSP, reproducing the analysis of nGX by Alber and Prince (to appear) within the larger system of nGX.WSP.
(3)

Quantity-sensitivity in nGX.WSP. X =L head-syllable; H=H head-syllable; u =L non-head syllable; o= L unparsed syllable; w=H nonhead syllable g=H unparsed syllable; iamb. {-uX-, -wH-, -uH-, -wX-}; trochee.{-Xu-, -Hw-, -Hu-, -Xw-}; R=right-; L=left-aligning.
Type:
Subtype
Condition
Optima
c.f. Property (see Figure
Quantity
1)
:
dom(inant)>sub(ordinate)
Sensitive
Fully
every H is stressed
2s:H{-H-H-}
2.5: WSP>Fdom & Adom
Partially

Insensitive

not every H is stressed

AND

2s:HH{-wH-},
Hw-}

subordinate type in 2s:HL(iambic); or 2s:LH (trochaic)

OR
subordinate position in 3s:HLL(R); 3s:LLH (L)

2s:LL{-uX-}
2s:HL{-Hu-}
3s:LLL{-o-uX-}
3s:LHL{-uH-o-}
2s:LL{-uX-};
2s:HL:{-wX-}
3s:LLL{-o-uX-}
3s:HLL{-g-uX-}

dominant type in 2s:HL(iambic); 2s:LH (trochaic)

AND
dominant foot position in 3s:HLL (R); 3s:LLH(L)

{-

2.5: Adom, Fdom>WSP

or
2.3: Adom, Fsub>WSP
1.3 Fdom=Iamb
2.2: WSP>Fdom
1.4 Adom=AFR
2.1: WSP>Adom
1.3: Fdom=Iamb
2.2: Fdom>WSP, and
1.4: Adom=AFR
2.1: Adom>WSP

Though he has not yet seen this at the time of press, I thank Alan Prince, whose ideas I hope to be clearly evident
in every aspect of this project: Alan first suggested looking at quantity-sensitivity in an abstract OT system, using
the tools of Modern Rigorous OT. I also thank Natalie DelBusso, especially, and Nick Danis for comments on an
earlier version; and finally I thank Eric Bakovi for organizing Alan's 'schrift.

Producing nGX.WSP from nGX

nGX.WSP contains the smaller, quantity-insensitive nGX system of Alber and Prince (to appear) and the
modifications to GEN and CON identified below. Going from the nGX typology to the nGX.WSP typology involves
a refinement in the languages of nGX.
GEN nGX.WSP. A candidate set consists of every candidate that meets the following conditions: an input consists of a
string of unparsed H or L syllables, occurring in free combination. Every output for an input must contain at least
one stress per word, with syllables being parsed freely into unary or binary feet, or remaining unparsed (main stress
is not distinguished).
CON nGX.WSP. The constraint set includes every constraint of nGX {AFL, AFR, IA, TR, PS} and WSP. Constraint
definitions are given in the table in (4).
(4) CONnGX.WSP. The Antagonist/Agonist distinction is from Alber and Prince (to appear).
Class

Subclass

CON

Definition: returns a violation for...

Symbol

Antagonist

Alignment

AFL
AFR
IA
TR
PS
WSP

a syllable preceding a foot (Ft)

a syllable following a foot
a head-initial foot
a head-final foot
an unparsed syllable
each heavy syllable that is not the head-syllable of a
foot

*[...Ft...]
*[...Ft...]
*-X, -H
*X-, H*o,g
*g, w

Foot Type
Agonist
-

Parsing
-

QuantitySensitive?
No
No
No
No
No
Yes

In nGX?
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
No

Result
TYPOLOGYnGX.WSP. The typology for nGX.WSP was calculated in OT Workplace (Merchant, Prince and Tesar 2015).
The typology consists of 72 languages with 36 languages being iambic, containing one or more -uX- feet in L-only
(L+) inputs and the other 36 languages being trochaic, containing one or more head-initial -Xu- in L+inputs. Within
each iambic or trochaic half, languages do not show complete symmetry with respect to the positioning of feet: in
the iambic half, 19 languages are right-aligning, while the remaining 17 are left-aligning; in the trochaic half, 19
languages are left-aligned, while 17 are right-aligned. 36 languages are Sparse, containing at most one LL foot per
word; 16 are Weakly Dense, containing multiple LL feet per word but no unary L feet; and 20 are Strongly Dense
languages, containing multiple LL feet word and allowing a unary L foot in odd-length forms; Sparse, Weakly
Dense and Strongly Dense are adopted from the analysis of nGX (Alber and Prince in prep). Additional contrasts
emerge in nGX.WSP due the inclusion of WSP in CON (and also because GEN has a quantity distinction). In
discussing the remaining phonological contrasts of the typology, only a portion of the typology is shown, consisting
of the 10 Sparse, Iambic and right-aligned (Sp.R.ia) languages: this portion was chosen because it shows the full set
of quantity-sensitive contrasts that exist (extensionally). See Supplement 2 for the full nGX.WSP typology.
(5) TypologynGX.WSP. Sparse= 1LL Ft per word; Weakly Dense= Multiple LL feet per word and no unary feet;
Strongly Dense=Multiple LL feet per word and unary feet; Ia=Iambic, Tr=Trochaic; R-=Right-aligned; L=Left-aligned; Fn= Multiple binary LL-feet per word, X=contains a unary foot (-X-), o=contains unparsed
syllable (-o-).
Language class

# of Lgs
(Total)

Iambic

Trochaic

R-

L-

R-

L-

Fn

QI/QS?

Sparse

36

10

10

No

No

Yes

Both

(2)

Weakly Dense

16

Yes

No

Yes

Both

(3)

Strongly Dense

20

Yes

Yes

No

Both

72

19

17

17

19

(1)

Total

Descriptions of the 10 Sp.R.ia languages are given in the table in (6); forms supporting this characterization are in
the table in (7).
(6) Descriptions of the Sp.R.ia languages of nGX.WSP. See (3) for types of Quantity-Sensitivity.
Lg

Quantity-Sensitivity:

Description

Fully/Partially/Not
Lg#1

Not

Lg#3

Partially

Lg#4

Partially

Lg#5

Partially

Lg#19

Partially

Lg#23

Fully

Lg#24

Fully

Lg#25

Fully

Lg#26

Fully

Lg#27

Fully

avoids having one or more syllables between the foot and the dominant edge for alignment;
avoids feet of the subordinate foot type
allows one or more syllables to occur between the foot and the dominant edge to avoid unstressed H;
avoids feet subordinate foot type
allows any number of feet to occur away from the dominant edge, just in case the foot is of the dominant
foot type and the foot-head is a H syllable; does not allow -LL- with -HL- feet in a word
allows any number of H-head feet of the dominant foot type; allows -LL- with -HL- feet in a word
allows a disyllabic foot of the subordinate foot type if the penultimate/peninitial H syllable is the head of
a foot at the dominant edge.
allows at most one -H,L- foot per word; does not allow -LL- with -HL- feet in a word.
allows at most one -H,L- foot per word; allows one -LL- with -HL- feet in a word (of the same foot
type).
H-hyperaligning; allowing a unary -H- foot at the dominant edge, preceded/followed by a binary -H, Lfoot; allow -LL- with -HL- feet.
H-hyperaligning; contains an unparsed syllable at dominant edge in odd-lengths; does not allow -LLwith -HL- feet in a word
H-hyperaligning; allows a unary foot -X- at the dominant edge in forms, avoiding an unparsed L

(7) The class of Sp.R.ia languages of nGX.WSP. Quantity-Insensitive (QI) inputs (L+ forms): Yellow= Sp.R.ia.
Quantity-Sensitive (QS) typology= QI + QS inputs. Within the QS columns, shared optima are shaded the
same color. Contexts where one or more unstressed H-syllables are avoided have a bold border.
Inputs->

QI

QS

2s:LL

3s:LLL

4s:LLLL

2s:HL

2s:HH

3s:HLL

3s:LHL

4s:HLLL

4s:LHLL

4s:LHLH

Lg#1

{-uX-}

{-o-uX-}

{-o-o-uX-}

{-wX-}

{-wH-}

{-g-uX-}

{-o-wX-}

{-g-o-uX-}

{-o-g-uX-}

{-o-g-uH-}

Lg#3

{-uX-}

{-o-uX-}

{-o-o-uX-}

{-wX-}

{-wH-}

{-g-uX-}

{-uH-o-}

{-g-o-uX-}

{-uH-o-o-}

{-o-g-uH-}

Lg#4

{-uX-}

{-o-uX-}

{-o-o-uX-}

{-wX-}

{-wH-}

{-g-uX-}

{-uH-o-}

{-g-o-uX-}

{-uH-o-o-}

{-uH-uH-}

Lg#5

{-uX-}

{-o-uX-}

{-o-o-uX-}

{-wX-}

{-wH-}

{-g-uX-}

{-uH-o-}

{-g-o-uX-}

{-uH-uX-}

{-uH-uH-}

Lg#19

{-uX-}

{-o-uX-}

{-o-o-uX-}

{-Hu-}

{-wH-}

{-g-uX-}

{-o-Hu-}

{-g-o-uX-}

{-o-g-uX-}

{-o-g-uH-}

Lg#23

{-uX-}

{-o-uX-}

{-o-o-uX-}

{-Hu-}

{-H-H-}

{-Hu-o-}

{-uH-o-}

{-Hu-o-o-}

{-uH-o-o-}

{-uH-uH-}

Lg#24

{-uX-}

{-o-uX-}

{-o-o-uX-}

{-Hu-}

{-H-H-}

{-Hu-o-}

{-uH-o-}

{-Hu-uX-}

{-uH-uX-}

{-uH-uH-}

Lg#25

{-uX-}

{-o-uX-}

{-o-o-uX-}

{-Hu-}

{-H-H-}

{-Hu-o-}

{-o-Hu-}

{-Hu-o-o-}

{-o-Hu-o-}

{-o-Hu-H-}

Lg#26

{-uX-}

{-o-uX-}

{-o-o-uX-}

{-Hu-}

{-H-H-}

{-Hu-o-}

{-o-Hu-}

{-Hu-uX-}

{-o-Hu-o-}

{-o-Hu-H-}

Lg#27

{-uX-}

{-o-uX-}

{-o-o-uX-}

{-Hu-}

{-H-H-}

{-Hu-X-}

{-o-Hu-}

{-Hu-uX-}

{-o-Hu-X-}

{-o-Hu-H-}

Classification
Terminology. A property is a description of the ranking conditions that exist in an OT system realized as a particular
phonological contrast. A property consists of two values where a value is an Elementary Ranking Condition (ERC),
with the values being an ERC and its logical negation. As shown in the analysis of nGX by Alber and Prince (to
appear), Foot Type is a property that expresses the contrast between iambic and trochaic languages due to the
interaction of the two nGX constraints, {IAMB, TROCHEE}. A property-type grammar is made up of values for every
property that applies to the language, distinguishing an optimum in every candidate set (Alber, DelBusso and Prince
2015). A Classification is the set of properties that produces full support for a system; the property-type grammar for
each language is equivalent to its Most Informative Basis and its Skeletal Basis (Brasoveanu and Prince 2004).

4
Figure 1 shows the full set of properties for nGX.WSP, within the Sp.Ia.R subtypology. This part of the analysis has
been confirmed in OT Workplace, checking that it correctly produces a property-type grammar equivalent to the
grammar of every Sp.R.ia language calculated from the set of assumptions about GEN and CON (see Supplement 3
for the full check of the analysis). All properties in nGX exist in nGX.WSP, with nGX.WSP having additional
properties that produce refinements, going from the nGX typology to the nGX.WSP one.
Note that Sparse languages have more refinements than Dense languages: values the characterize Sparse languages
do not contradict as many for values for additional properties that are required going from nGX to nGX.WSP. Every
Sp.R.ia language has the same value for Properties 1.1-4 replicating the 4 properties of the of nGX. Sparse means
that the dominant Alignment constraint or the subordinate foot type constraint dominates Ps. This value results in a
language containing at most one -L(L)- foot per word, leaving the remaining L syllables in the string unparsed.
These languages are right-aligning, since the value of the dominant Alignment constraint is AFR. These languages
are iambic, which means that the dominant foot type constraint is IA.
Further contrasts made among the Sp.R.ia languages require the additional Properties 2.1-7: these properties
characterize both the set of quantity-sensitive contrasts, which include WSP, in addition to the 3 other properties that
do not include WSP (a refinement of the ranking conditions for nGX constraints is due to the H/L distinction in the
input). The tableaux in (5) shows the Property-type grammars of Languages 1 and 19: these languages differ only in
whether they are in the scope of the values for Property 2.1, 2.2, and 2.5 (Language 1 is not in the scope of Property
2.5, while Language 19 is) and what the value is, if they are in the scope of the same property (Language 1 has the
value for Property 2.1: IA>WSP; Language 19 has the opposite value for this Property 2.1: WSP>IA).
(8) F.Sp.L.ia.1 and F.Sp.L.ia.25

ngX.
WSP

ngX

F.Sp.L.ia.1
1.1

Sparse

1.2

Unparsed syllables

1.3

Iambic

1.4

Right-aligning

2.1

{-o-wH-}~{-uH-o-}

2.2

{-wX-}~{-Hu-}

AFL

AFR

Tr

Ia

W
L
L

Ps

WSP
1.1

Sparse

1.2

Unparsed syllables

1.3

Iambic

1.4

Right-aligning

2.2

{-Hu-}~{-wX-}

2.5

{-wH-}~{-H-H-}

W
W
W

F.Sp.L.ia.19

AFL

AFR

Tr

Ia

WSP

L
W

Ps

DISCUSSION.
Two constraints belong to the same class if they face off against the same set of constraints in a property. The
behavior of WSP is remarkable, as it appears to act as a foot antagonist or a foot agonist, depending on the property:
WSP forms a constraint class with the nGX agonist parsing constraint PS: compare Property 1.1 with Property 2.3:
each of these properties has an ERC value where the constraints {Adom, Fsub} face off against a member of the
class{Ps, WSP}. Also, WSP forms a constraint class with the foot antagonists: i.e. foot type constraints {Ia, Tr},
where the dominant foot type constraint faces off against {WSP, Fsub} (compare Properties 2.2 and 1.3); and foot
alignment constraints {AFL, AFR} where Adom faces off against WSP or Fsub in Properties 2.1 and 1.4
respectively.
References
Alber, B. (1999). "Quantity sensitivity as the result of constraint interaction."
Alber, B., N. DelBusso, and A. Prince. (2015). From Intensional Properties to Universal Support. Rutgers Optimality Archive. ROA 1235.
Alber, B. and A. Prince (in prep). Typologies. University of Verona and Rutgers University.
Brasoveanu, A. and A. Prince (2004). Maximally informative basis and fusional reduction. Rutgers University, New Brunswick, NJ.
Merchant, N., A. Prince, and B. Tesar. (2015). OT Workplace. Version 79.
Prince, A. (1990). Quantitative consequences of rhythmic organization. Parasession on the Syllable in Phonetics and Phonology. Chicago; URL:
http://ruccs.rutgers.edu/~prince/gamma/qcro.pdf, Chicago Linguistic Society: 355-398.

Figure 1. Properties of System nGX.WSP. Prince (1990) proposed the WSP; the OT constraint WSP '*g,w' is included in nGX.WSP, an OT system for quantity-sensitive stress, which takes nGX (Alber and Prince to
appear) and modifies it minimally, allowing the effects of WSP to be observed: the input distinguishes H and L syllables (nGX lacks a quantity distinction); CON includes every constraint of nGX, in addition to WSP.
The full typology was calculated in OT Workplace (Merchant, Prince and Tesar 2015). The analysis of the nGX.WSP typology assumes that ranking conditions are properties within the terms of Property Theory (Alber
and Prince to appear; Alber, DelBusso and Prince 2015). The diagram was used to produce every Sp.R.ia grammar of nGX.WSP: a language is made up of values for every property relevant to the language. Analysis.
Properties 1.1-4 in nGX.WSP replicate the nGX properties, producing every nGX language. Properties 2.1-7 are additional properties required for nGX.WSP, with 4 including WSP--those properties characterize
quantity-sensitivity in this system, meaning instances where the language avoids/allows unstressed H syllables. The graph contains a larger, top cluster, which contains every property of nGX; the larger, bottom cluster
contains the additional properties for nGX.WSP. The larger, bottom cluster contains two smaller clusters: the smaller, top cluster contains properties that include WSP in their ERC characterization; the smaller, bottom
cluster contains properties that include only the set of nGX constraints in their ERC characterization. Within a node, the four rows represent the following: i) the property reference number and property name, ii)
Sp.Ia.R languages in the scope of the property, iii) the property's ERC characterization, and iv) support for Sp.R.ia languages. The way to interpret a property is as follows: in languages in the scope of the left value of
the property, i.e. preceding '<>', one constraint in the set on the left side of the ERC value dominates every constraint on the right side (and vice versa). Notation: Cell shading: WSP faces off against the same set of
constraints as a constraint in nGX: colors represent properties where a value is the same on one side; Automated forms from OT Workplace: X =L head-syllable; H=H head-syllable; u =L non-head syllable; o= L
unparsed syllable; w=H non-head syllable g=H unparsed syllable; iambs. {-uX-, -wH-, -uH-, -wX-}; trochees.{-Xu-, -Hw-, -Hu-, -Xw-}; terms from Alber and Prince (to appear): multiplicity: Sp(arse), D(ense), unary,
hyperaligning; F=foot type constraint; A=Alignment constraint; types of constraint relations= dominant (Fdom, Adom); subordinate (Fsub, Asub) (dom>sub); ia=Iambic; tr=trochaic; R=right-aligning; L=left-aligning.