government phonology

A model of NON-LINEAR PHONOLOGY in which the notion of GOVERNMENT is central; also called government-based phonology or government and charm phonology. ‘Government’ is here defined in terms of headedness – a BINARY asymmetric relation holding between two SKELETAL positions. Certain segments within SYLLABLE structure are seen to have governing properties, and are ASSOCIATED to governing skeletal positions. Other segments are governable, and are associated to skeletal positions that are governees. Headedness is seen as local (i.e. between adjacent segments) and directional (head-initial). Syllabic CONSTITUENTS are thus defined as HEAD-initial governing domains. Government across constituent boundaries is called ‘interconstituent government’. Proper government is a stronger form of government which asserts that the governor may not itself be governed, and that the domain of proper government may not include a governing domain. The approach is influenced by GOVERNMENT-BINDING THEORY, and advocates a constraining of phonology through the use of PRINCIPLES and PARAMETERS.