Interplay between Parameterized Rules in Old English Stress
            Assignment (2): Environment-setting Relation

                                                            
                            Eiji Yamada

                              Abstract

     The interrelations lying between the stress rules, parameters,
and principles of Old English can be categorized into the following
two conceptual terms: Contact Relation discussed in Yamada (1995b) and
Environment-setting relation is not in "contact" with each other, but
rather placed into a kind of environment in which certain checking
devices are always switched on to prevent undesired outputs from
appearing at any stage throughout the derivations, like an environment
where everything is usually kept in its optimal condition.  The latter
type of relation and its related matters are dealt with in this paper.

Keywords: metrical, stress, edge, Old English, Korn Shell

0  Introduction

     In Yamada (1995b) it is shown that many of the relations found
between the rules, parameters, and principles of the metrical stress
theory in Old English (henceforth OE) can be defined by the overall
term of the "Contact Relation."  This means that each of the relations
can be definable with the help of the concept of one-to-one relation.
Recall that this one-to-one relation in OE is comprised of the
following relations in (1a(i)-(iv)):1

   (1)  a.  Contact Relation
                  (i).  O/I Relation
                 (ii).  Sequential Relation
                (iii).  Binary Relation
                 (iv).  Simultaneous Relation
        b.  Environment-setting Relation (Constraint-type Relation)

     On the other hand, there can be found a "constraint" type of
device in the OE metrical phonology.  The relationship seen between
the constraint and other rules, however, will not be defined by the
one-to-one relation, but rather by the one-to-all relation, since the
constraint behaves like one of the factors which set the environment
where everything (i.e., every output from the rules) is to be
optimally conditioned.  Thus we will call this kind of relation
"Environment-setting Relation," as shown in (1b).  We will discuss
this type of relation in this paper.

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       (For the full text of this paper, send e-mail
        to yamada@fukuoka-u.ac.jp)
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4  Conclusion
     
     We have shown that the so-called "constraint" type of restriction
on the system of OE stress rules is definable in terms of
"environment-setting" relation lying in the rules, which is
intrinsically different from the "contact" relation discussed in
Yamada (1995b).
     In other words, once a particular variable is set as the value of
the "environment" for a given language, all the outputs from the rules
is checked out whether or not they are fit right in with the value of
the variable: if it fits in with the value, the output is licensed; if
not, it is blocked.  The relation between this environment type of
constraint and other rules is considered to be "one-to-all" relation.
     In contrast with the above-mentioned "one-to-all" relation, all
the other relations found in the system of rules are reduced to
"one-to-one" relation discussed in Yamada (1995b).  Each one-to-one
"local" relation is combined to construct the whole stress system of
OE phonology.  Thus we need no t to draw the whole picture of the
system independently.  It will suffice for us just to specify the
local relation between the rules, along with their "environment,"
since the whole system is automatically constructed once its integral
parts are set.
     One point to be noted here is the postulation of Parameter
Nullification.  This is a device to nullify the value of the parameter
being set earlier in the derivation.  Without this device in our
system, we cannot explain one of the particular stress phenomenon in
OE.