Lo «natural» en fonología

Abstract

This paper is centred on some points of interest for today's Phonology —that which follows the model of SPE and some of its follow-ups: «Natural Phonology», «Auto-Segmental and Particle Phonology»— which are related to the concept of «naturality» in Phonology. Our aim is to show that the interest in defining what is «natural» has been evident since the foundation of Phonology as a science, that is, since the formation of the Prague School of Linguistics, and has continued to be a thematic constant throughout the history of Phonology. For this purpose, we begin by attempting to characterize the natural phonetic facts by revising all those traits that are found in the pages of Generative Phonology and coincide, at least twice, with the observations of the Structuralist phonologists. Secondly, we outline some of the formal devices which have been proposed to explain these natural phenomena, with a view to connect the above mentioned phenomena and formalisms with the data which have been given by previous non-generative phonologists, and with their methods of analysis as well.