Computational universals in linguistic theory: Using recursive programs for phonological analysis

This article presents boolean monadic recursive schemes (BMRSs), adapted from the mathematical study of computation, as a phonological theory that both explains the observed computational properties of phonological patterns and directly captures phonological substance and linguistically significant generalizations. BMRSs consist of structures defined as logical predicates and situated in an 'if … then … else' syntax in such a way that they variably license or block the features that surface in particular contexts. Three case studies are presented to demonstrate how these grammars (i) express conflicting pressures in a language, (ii) naturally derive elsewhere condition effects, and (iii) capture typologies of repairs for marked structures.