Permalink : http://hdl.handle.net/2115/42864

Cognitive phonology, as proposed by Lakoff (1988, 1993) and Goldsmith (1989, 1990, 1991, 1993b), is a phonological theory that questions the foundational assumptions of generative phonology, doing away with the notions of "derivations" and "extrinsic rule ordering". The present paper is an attempt to explore possibilities and problems of cognitive phonology by analyzing the past tense formation of Japanese verbs as a case study. It is shown that the framework of cognitive phonology nicely analyzes the data, but at the same time such problems as relationships across levels, environment statements, and measurement of harmony are pointed out and discussed.