On Some Theoretical Implications of Winnebago Phonology

Abstract

This paper is essentially a commentary on Steriade 1990, which deals i.a. with certain aspects of Winnebago phonology. The issues cluster around a much-discussed process known as Dorsey's Law (see Miner 1992 and references given there) which is operative in Mississippi Valley Siouan and which Steriade has generalized to other language groups. I discuss Winnebago syllable structure, cyclic syllabification, cluster reduction and the formalization of Dorsey's Law itself.