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Words and feet

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  01 July 1999

ERIK FUDGE
ERIK FUDGE
Affiliation:
University of Reading
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Abstract

This article challenges the commonly-held assumption that words, feet and syllables fit into a single phonological hierarchy, and in particular that feet are always sub-units of words. A number of facts of English rhythm are cited which cannot be accounted for unless words and feet are taken to be units of different hierarchies: many of the differences of rhythm between phrases of otherwise similar phonological structure which are noted by Abercrombie (1964) are accounted for most naturally by differences in placement between, on the one hand, word- and stress-group-boundaries, and, on the other, foot-boundaries.

Type
Research Article
Information
Journal of Linguistics , Volume 35 , Issue 2 , July 1999 , pp. 273 - 296
Copyright
© 1999 Cambridge University Press

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Footnotes

Some of the ideas of this article have emerged from the lectures I have given on this and related topics at the University of Reading. An earlier version of the article was written during a sabbatical term spent in the University of Groningen, Netherlands. I should like to express my thanks to students and staff at both institutions, but especially to Dicky Gilbers and Klarien van der Linde, who were my hosts at Groningen and helped to make my stay there so happy and profitable. I also thank Heather my wife, for agreeing that I should work away from home during this time. The present version of the article owes a good deal to JL's anonymous referees.