AN EDGE MARKING ANALYSIS OF ENGLISH STRESS CHANGE

Abstract

An attempt will be made to analyze the historical change of English word stress within a framework of parametric metrical phonology. Parameter values are set for each historical period based on a learning model, which regards homogeneous settings as preferable to heterogeneous ones for a child. It will become clear that, however, while some changes in parameter values increase the homogeneity of the stress system, others make the system less homogeneous. Our investigation will lead us to the conclusion that, though the principle governing the homogeneity of the system plays an important role in the history of English, it always competes with other principles of stress assignment.