A Research into Interface between Phonetic Representations and Articulatory Modules

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Between the artidulatory (i.e., implementational) modudules and phonetic representations lies an interface module in the sense of Jackendoff (2002), which includes the set of correspondence rules, where timing elements are aligned to relevant phonological elements. The process of alignment is three-fold : alignment of timing elements of nucleus, opening phase and closing phase. These are targets for autosegmental spreading operation. We have notice some homology of modularity in phonological and conceptual configurations. Formalization of the homology between phonology and semantics will be pursued in the research that has been granted for the years 2003-2004 (research leader : Yukio Takahashi). The present research had assumed the general validity of the theory of Articulatory Phonology propounded in series of papers by Browman and Goldstein, which the present research had taken to be the significant candidate theory for explaining what has been called phonetic implementation. Adopting such an assumption, we pursued the possibility that the autosegmental operation of "Spread α " is applied across-the-board, which means that the operation may be applied at the interface level. The present research went on to argue that the autosegmental operation is translated into the operation "Merge." This is a significant corollary of our assumption on the whole architecture of the grammar, which comes from Jackendoff's series of work on the Tripartite Parallel Architecture. The notion of "Merge" comes from Chomsky's Minimalist Program. In my research, I laid out a general scheme for installing "Merge" into Jackendoff's Conceptual Semantics, in which we tried to account for one of the long standing issues of semantics : an explication of the reading of purpose from that of result. The present research made it explicit that systems of phonology and semantics are homological and they crucially refer to temporal elements.