Sanford Schane’s monograph French Phonology and Morphology, published in 1968, was the first extensive treatment of that subject in a generative framework. Although its merits and faults have been discussed at length in reviews, the scarcety of subsequent contrasting analyses within the same framework would seem to imply that Schane’s study is essentially correct within that framework and/or that the subject matter itself holds no further theoretical interest for generative phonologists. The present paper challenges both of these implications. The discussion focuses on Schane’s formulation of the underlying vocalic system of French. Schane’s assumptions about phonological grammars, his analysis, and his methodology are open to question. Section 1 of this study discusses the concept “rule of grammar” as developed by Schane and considers possible alternatives. Inconsistencies of Schane’s analysis are illustrated in Section 2, while Section 3 demonstrates that the data which should offer the strongest support for Schane’s analysis in fact fail to do so. To the extent that Schane represents current phonological theory and practice, the criticisms voiced here have, of course, a wider application.

The discussion focuses on Schane’s formulation of the underlying vocalic system of French. Schane's assumptions about phonological grammars, his analysis, and his methodology are open to question. Section 1 of this study discusses the concept “rule of grammar” as developed by Schane and considers possible alternatives. Inconsistencies of Schane’s analysis are illustrated in Section 2, while Section 3 demonstrates that the data which should offer the strongest support for Schane’s analysis in fact fail to do so. To the extent that Schane represents current phonological theory and practice, the criticisms voiced here have, of course, a wider application.

Cette étude veut être un complément d’information à nos travaux déjà effectués sur le parler des Franco-Canadiens de la Saskatchewan. En août 1970, poursuivant notre série d’enquêtes phonétiques, nous avons visité les villages de Willow-Bunch et de Bellegarde dans le sud-est de cette province, dans le but d’examiner quelques aspects phonétiques du français parlé dans ces deux centres actifs de la minorité francophone de la région.

In a recent paper Kiparsky 1971 has proposed the notion of rule opacity to account for certain phenomena which eluded explanation under earlier formulations utilizing such concepts as feeding and bleeding. While I feel that Kiparsky’s proposal is basically sound, there are a few minor problems associated with the concept of rule opacity as postulated by Kiparsky. I will deal with these problems in this paper.

I shall illustrate here the importance of syntactic ‘blends’ for a transformational conception of syntax and, in the light of this, I shall show that if one accepts the theory of syntax outlined in Chomsky (1965), one must discard the celebrated deep structure distinction advocated there for easy and eager and the rule of Tough- Movement.