In lieu of an abstract, here is a brief excerpt of the content:

642LANGUAGE, VOLUME 74, NUMBER 3 (1998) role ofextrametricality in formulations of Spanish stress and also restricts the role which quantity may play in structural prominence. The head foot is instantiated by a right-aligned moraic trochee within his view; this is not a direct descendent of the Latin moraic trochee but rather an independent development. Carmen Pensado argues against a rule of synchronic depalatalization of nasal and lateral codas in Spanish (595-618). Pensado shows that perception tests demonstrate that synchronic morphophonological alternations are only weakly analogically productive. Diachronic patterns of such palatal/non-palatal alternants in the coda are also shown not to be the result ofa phonologically productive process. This contribution to segmental aspects of Spanish is followed by two more views of stress. I. M. Roca focuses on stress in Spanish nomináis and claims mat an account of the nature of prominence in nonverbal forms must inevitably involve statements of accentual markedness in cases where stress is not metrically assignable (619-64). In the perspective presented here, contemporary Spanish is seen as a mixed system of rhythmic stress and assigned accents. In the final chapter of mis volume, Mario Saltarelli argues against an exceptional treatment of imparisyllabic stress in Spanish and Latin (665-94). Saltarelli adopts an explicitly panchronic approach to imparisyllabics and shows mat a closer connection between prosody to morphology mappings can unify the statement of stress in imparisyllabics with other generalizations about Spanish stress. The articles in this volume mainly represent the application of contemporary approaches to phonology and morphology of the Iberian languages. Since there are few general implications drawn in these chapters, this volume should mainly appeal to those scholars whose own work focuses on one or more of these languages. For a volume of this length, it is meticulously edited for grammar and for typographical errors. Unfortunately, the editors seem to have been less courageous about controlling for content. It is as if the editors, once having targeted well-known scholars for contributions, were reticent to ask them for revisions. Many of these chapters are far too long and could be condensed with no loss of substance. There are also some very good contributions to this volume. Hualde's chapter is a concise introduction to the merits ofoptimality with good data and an explicit analysis. Lipski's treatment of word stress is well balanced and persuasive. Harris's discussion of the Spanish imperative, while somewhat at the margins of the rest of the book, is intriguing, and Prieto's and Pensado's experimental investigations are both well conceived and yield interesting results. With the inclusion of several papers on intonation (Elordieta, Frota, García-Bellido, and Prieto), this volume becomes valuable for anyone pursuing this issue in one of these languages. Overall, this volume represents an impressive and well intentioned effort on the part of its editors. It is aimed at an audience that is already conversant with the issues in these languages and with contemporary phonological analysis. For these readers, it will undoubtedly prove to be a great resource. REFERENCE Pierrehumbert, Janet, and Mary Beckman. 1988. Japanese tone structure. Cambridge, MA: MIT Press. Department of French 325 Burrowes Building Pennsylvania State University University Park, PA 16802 [beb2@psu.edu] Language history, language change, and language relationship: An introduction to historical and comparative linguistics. By Hans Henrich Hock and Brian D. Joseph. Berlin: Mouton de Gruyter, 1996. Pp. xv, 602. Paper $29.95. Reviewed by Joseph F. Eska, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University This introductory volume is aimed at a general, nonspecialist readership and achieves die goals of its authors admirably. It is written in an interesting, colloquial style; it also provides an REVIEWS643 introduction to many aspects of general linguistics and dispels numerous myths about language. Most of the examples throughout the volume are drawn from the Indo-European family, an understandable decision in view of its intended audience. Hock and Joseph organize their volume into eighteen chapters in six parts. Part I, 'Introductory', is composed of three chapters. Ch. 1 (3-34) introduces various types of linguistic change, both internal (e.g. natural sound change and analogy) and external (e.g. contact), and the notion of relationship...

pdf

Share