The Obligatory Contour Principle (frequently abbreviated OCP) is a phonological hypothesis that states that (certain) consecutive identical features are banned in underlying representations.
Read more about Obligatory Contour Principle: Background Considerations, History, Debate
Famous quotes containing the words contour and/or principle:
“The living language is like a cowpath: it is the creation of the cows themselves, who, having created it, follow it or depart from it according to their whims or their needs. From daily use, the path undergoes change. A cow is under no obligation to stay in the narrow path she helped make, following the contour of the land, but she often profits by staying with it and she would be handicapped if she didn’t know where it was or where it led to.”
—E.B. (Elwyn Brooks)
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