ABSTRACT
In the previous chapters, I have presented a system of constraints which captures certain generalizations concerning lenition typology, and relates these to plausible assumptions regarding the relative articulatory cost of particular gestures, or their cost in particular contexts and conditions. To review: • Lenition patterns receive a unified treatment in terms of conflict between
effort minimization on the one hand, and auditorily based faithfulness and fortition constraints on the other. This is formalized as a series of effort thresholds (LAZY x »LAZY x-I » etc.), interleaved with constraints on faithfulness to auditory features, and fortition constraints (presumably perceptually based), in an Optimality Theoretic constraint hierarchy.
