B Elan Dresher (77 results)

Hard cover. 294 p. Cambridge Studies in Linguistics. Audience: Professional and scholarly. 'Contrast'-the opposition between distinctive sounds in a language-is one of the most central concepts in linguistics. This book presents a fascinating account of the logic and history of contrast in phonology. It provides empirical evidence from diverse phonological domains that only contrastive features are computed by the phonological component of grammar. It argues that the contrastive specifications of phonemes are governed by language-particular feature hierarchies. This approach assigns a key role to abstract cognitive structures, challenging contemporary approaches that favour phonetic explanations of phonological phenomena. Tracing the evolution of the hypothesis that contrastive features play a special role in phonology, it shows how this insight has been obscured by misunderstandings of the role of the contrastive feature hierarchy. Questioning the widely held notion that contrast should be based on minimal pairs, Elan Dresher argues that the contrastive hierarchy is indispensable to illuminating accounts of phonological patterning. Very good in very good dust jacket. Light shelfwear, to the jacket, a few instances of erasable light pencil marginalia and underlining.…

Condition: New.

Condition: Good. Papercover, 272pp, no marking and writing, tan, stains, foxing edges, fair.

Condition: New. A fascinating account of both the logic and history of contrast in phonology. Series: Cambridge Studies in Linguistics. Num Pages: 294 pages, black & white illustrations. BIC Classification: CFF; CFH. Category: (UP) Postgraduate, Research & Scholarly. Dimension: 154 x 228 x 19. Weight in Grams: 460. . 2011. Reissue. paperback. . . . . …

Paperback. Condition: Brand New. reissue edition. 280 pages. 9.00x6.00x0.75 inches. In Stock.

Condition: New. pp. 294.

Condition: New. A fascinating account of both the logic and history of contrast in phonology. Series: Cambridge Studies in Linguistics. Num Pages: 294 pages, black & white illustrations. BIC Classification: CFF; CFH. Category: (UP) Postgraduate, Research & Scholarly. Dimension: 154 x 228 x 19. Weight in Grams: 460. . 2011. Reissue. paperback. . . . . Books ship from the US and Ireland. …

Hardcover. Condition: Near Fine. 1st Edition. Hardcover, x + 351 pages, NOT ex-library. Clean and bright throughout, with unmarked text, free of inscriptions and stamps, firmly bound. Boards show gentle handling wear. Published without a dust jacket. -- This volume brings together a collection of theoretically and empirically grounded essays that center contrast as a core organizing principle in phonology, offering interdisciplinary insights into how contrast operates within phonological theory, speech perception, and first and second language acquisition. The volume is structured into three main parts. The first addresses formal theoretical modeling, especially the problem of how contrast is encoded in phonological systems. Dresher presents the contrastive hierarchy as a dynamic and language-specific structure, in contrast to minimal pair approaches, emphasizing that phonemic contrasts depend on the ordering of features rather than being fixed. Hall interrogates the boundaries between contrastive and redundant features, while Kuroda offers a feature-geometric reinterpretation of Japanese phonology. Scobbie and Stuart-Smith problematize binary assumptions of phonemicity through Scottish English data, proposing a scalar view of contrast - what they call "quasi-phonemic" - to account for marginal patterns. Hansson contributes a typological study linking contrast recoverability to harmony systems, showing how the interplay of feature visibility and lexical contrast guides phonological patterning. The second part focuses on perception, where several chapters explore how contrastive distinctions influence speech perception across different linguistic backgrounds. Boomershine, Hall, Hume, and Johnson compare English and Spanish listeners' sensitivity to [voiced alveolar plosive], [voiced dental fricative], and [voiced alveolar tap], showing how phonemic contrast affects perceptual distinctiveness. Mielke examines the perceptibility of /h/ across languages and ties functional load and phonotactics to contrast maintenance. Kochetov investigates the misperception of secondary articulations in systems with rich vowel inventories, using simulations to argue that production-perception constraints drive systemic asymmetries. The third section turns to acquisition. Weiss and Maye assess the role of contrast in early phonetic development and suggest that statistical learning can help infants discriminate phonetically subtle but functionally relevant distinctions. Fikkert and Levelt track the emergence of place contrasts in Dutch child phonology and explore how constraints and representations interact in developmental grammars. In L2 contexts, Boersma and Escudero model perceptual learning under Optimality Theory, while Cebrian shows how L1 vowel space affects acquisition of English front vowels by Catalan speakers. Goad further explores how lexical representations in L1 (specifically the presence or absence of aspiration) condition perception of new contrasts in L2 Thai. Throughout, the volume demonstrates that contrast cannot be understood as merely a static lexical relation but instead interacts dynamically with phonetic salience, language-specific structural patterns, and developmental pressures. Researchers and professionals in phonological theory, language acquisition, psycholinguistics, and speech perception will find the book particularly useful as a comparative reference and conceptual framework. It can support inquiries into phonological typology, language-specific phoneme inventories, and the learnability of sound contrasts, while also helping to frame experimental design in studies on speech discrimination and perceptual learning. The book's integration of formal models with empirical case studies and its coverage of both theoretical and developmental domains make it adaptable to a range of academic or applied uses, from phonological curriculum design to experimental phonetics and computational modeling.…

Condition: Brand New. New. US edition. Expediting shipping for all USA and Europe orders excluding PO Box. Excellent Customer Service.

Taschenbuch. Condition: Neu. Druck auf Anfrage Neuware - Printed after ordering - 'Contrast' - the opposition between distinctive sounds in a language - is one of the most central concepts in linguistics. This book presents a fascinating account of the logic and history of contrast in phonology. It provides empirical evidence from diverse phonological domains that only contrastive features are computed by the phonological component of grammar. It argues that the contrastive specifications of phonemes are governed by language-particular feature hierarchies. This approach assigns a key role to abstract cognitive structures, challenging contemporary approaches that favour phonetic explanations of phonological phenomena. Tracing the evolution of the hypothesis that contrastive features play a special role in phonology, it shows how this insight has been obscured by misunderstandings of the role of the contrastive feature hierarchy. Questioning the widely held notion that contrast should be based on minimal pairs, Elan Dresher argues that the contrastive hierarchy is indispensable to illuminating accounts of phonological patterning.…

Condition: New.

Hardcover. Condition: New. Dust Jacket Condition: New. First Edition. Dark blue hardback with gilt lettered spine, complete with original dustjacket. In new condition: firm and square with strong joints, no bumps, no rubs. Contents are crisp, tight and clean; no pen-marks. Thus a very nice copy that looks and feels unread, now offered for sale at a very reasonable price.…

Hardcover. Condition: Fine. No Jacket. No jacket, as issued. viii,312pp. Weight: 577 grams. Dimensions: 6.375 x 9.25 x .875 inches. Minor ordinary shelfwear, otherwise as new. If you order this from outside the United States, we will request an additional payment to help cover the postage. Please feel welcome to message us with any questions, or a request for photographs. Every order includes tracking and is wrapped and robustly packaged with care in Tucson, AZ. ~Mesquite Booksellers.…

Condition: New. A fascinating account of both the logic and history of contrast in phonology. Series: Cambridge Studies in Linguistics. Num Pages: 294 pages, Illustrations. BIC Classification: CFH. Category: (U) Tertiary Education (US: College). Dimension: 235 x 161 x 20. Weight in Grams: 606. . 2009. Illustrated. hardcover. . . . . …

Condition: New.

Condition: New. pp. xii + 280.

Condition: New. A fascinating account of both the logic and history of contrast in phonology. Series: Cambridge Studies in Linguistics. Num Pages: 294 pages, Illustrations. BIC Classification: CFH. Category: (U) Tertiary Education (US: College). Dimension: 235 x 161 x 20. Weight in Grams: 606. . 2009. Illustrated. hardcover. . . . . Books ship from the US and Ireland. …

Condition: New.

Condition: new.

Hardcover. Condition: Brand New. 1st edition. 280 pages. 9.50x6.50x0.75 inches. In Stock.

Condition: new.

Hardback. Condition: New. This book takes contrast, an issue that has been central to phonological theory since Saussure, as its central theme, making explicit its importance to phonological theory, perception, and acquisition. The volume brings together a number of different contemporary approaches to the theory of contrast, including chapters set within more abstract representation-based theories, as well as chapters that focus on functional phonetic theories and perceptual constraints. This book will be of interest to phonologists, phoneticians, psycholinguists, researchers in first and second language acquisition, and cognitive scientists interested in current thinking on this exciting topic.…

Condition: New.

HRD. Condition: New. New Book. Shipped from UK. Established seller since 2000.

HRD. Condition: New. New Book. Shipped from UK. Established seller since 2000.

Condition: As New. Unread book in perfect condition.

Condition: New.

Condition: New.

Buch. Condition: Neu. Druck auf Anfrage Neuware - Printed after ordering - This book takes contrast, an issue that has been central to phonological theory since Saussure, as its central theme, making explicit its importance to phonological theory, perception, and acquisition. The volume brings together a number of different contemporary approaches to the theory of contrast, including chapters set within more abstract representation-based theories, as well as chapters that focus on functional phonetic theories and perceptual constraints. This book will be of interest to phonologists, phoneticians, psycholinguists, researchers in first and second language acquisition, and cognitive scientists interested in current thinking on this exciting topic.…

Condition: As New. Unread book in perfect condition.