The Status Change of Align-Ft(L): A Trigger For the Stress Non-uniformity and Exceptionality In English

Abstract

This paper is to provide an explanation for the status-change effect of a constraint on foot construction and stress assignment in English. Align-Ft(L) is selected as the constraint to be explored for that effect in this paper. Since it was inviolable in Old and Middle English, the stress pattern at that time was relatively simple, compared with that of current English. However, its status change from an inviolable constraint to a violable one makes other constraints more active in current English than in Old and Middle English and also plays a role as a trigger for the stress non-uniformity and exceptionality in the situation where the ranking relation among other constraints is not fixed in current English. Even though all the cases of stress non-uniformity and exceptionality are not explored in this paper, the exploration of some cases shows that the status change of Align-Ft(L) causes the appearance of non-uniform stress patterns in current English.