Quantifier-free least fixed point functions for phonology

Abstract

In this paper we define quantifier-free least fixed point functions (QFLFP) and argue that they are an appropriate and valuable approach to modeling phonological processes (construed as input-output maps). These functions, characterized in terms of first order logic interpretations over graphs, provide a close fit to the observed typology, capturing both local and long-distance phenomena, but are also restrictive in desirable ways. Namely, QFLFP logical functions approximate the computation of deterministic finite-state transducers, which have been argued to form a restrictive hypothesis for phonological processes.