earticle

영어

This study focuses on the variant realizations of the English prefix dis-. Studying dis- has been overshadowed by the common prefix realization studies with respect to in-, con-, un-, and non-. The common affix study has typically explained the variant realizations by adopting the division of affix classes and their phonological behaviors. However, the English prefix dis- shows aberrant realization patterns, which cannot be ascribed to the different affix classes. It is because the prefix dis- shows both realization patterns of Class-I and Class-II prefixes. Even though the prefix dis- belongs to Class-II in traditional classification, it does not follow the typical Class-II realization patterns. However, the variant realization patterns are motivated by the status of the bases. When the prefix occurs before a bound stem, the prefix final fricative does not appear in the output, while it occurs before a free-standing stem. This dual behavior of the prefix can be explained by using constraints that are domain-specific so that constraints can reflect the dual realization of the prefix. Thus, the current study reveals that the traditional division of affixes into distinct classes is not a monolithic criterion in explaining the prefix realizations.