Prosodic change and the (apparent) irregularities in the development of segments

Abstract

Abstract According to the so-called Prosodic Change Hypothesis, sound change may be irregular if it is caused by a change in prosodic features of units to which the relevant segments belong. This theoretically not implausible hypothesis may provide an explanation for the well-known fact that some instances of sound change display what appears to be unexplainable exceptions. The present paper investigates the question of what kind of data can be used to verify the Prosodic Change Hypothesis. The paper establishes criteria which should be applied to potential evidence and demonstrates that, at present, the Prosodic Change Hypothesis has not yet been confirmed by reference to actual instances of sound change.