• Presents a simple and general theory of syllable structure
• Challenges long-standing assumptions and theories
• Incorporates exhaustive data analysis of Chinese, English, German, and Jiarong
• Explores implications for innateness, parameters, and language variation

Readership: Advanced students and above in linguistics, and especially phonologists.

San Duanmu, Professor of Linguistics, University of Michigan

1: Introduction
2: Features, Sounds, Complex Sounds, and the No Contour Principle
3: Theories of Syllable Structure
4: Syllable Structure in Chinese
5: Standard Chinese
6: Shanghai
7: Syllable and Tone
8: English I: The Maximal Syllable Size
9: English II: Syllable-internal Constraints
10: German
11: Jiarong (rGyalrong)
12: Theoretical Implications
References
Index