An Output-Output analysis of German i-truncations

Abstract

This paper argues for an Output-Output-analysis of i-truncations in German and shows that Sympathy Theory is not necessary to analyze German i-truncations (contra Ito & Mester 1997). I further argue that German i-truncations and reduplications are not the same phenomenon (contra Wiese 2001), although i-truncations and reduplicated forms in German (such as lari-fari, nonsense) both have an /i/-morpheme. The crucial restrictions on word-medial consonant sequences in German i-truncations can be explained with the syllable contact principle (SyllCont), the requirement for nasal-consonant sequences to be homorganic (NasCodaCond) (Fy 1997), and a prohibition of complex margins in unstressed syllables (PrefLaw & NoComplMargins).