Feeding order

In phonology and historical linguistics, feeding order is a situation in which rule A creates new
contexts in which rule B can apply; it would not have been possible for rule B to apply otherwise.

If there are two rules, rule A which looks like x → y and rule B which looks like y → z, then the
following is a feeding order:

A: x→y

B: y→z

The opposite of feeding order, the situation in which rule A destroys a certain context so rule B can
no longer apply, is called bleeding order.

Contents

1 Examples

2 Counterfeeding order

3 See also

4 References

Examples

A good example of feeding order can be seen in English, where preglottalization can be considered
as rule B. As a consequence of this rule, all voiceless plosives which make part of a word-final
consonant cluster are glottalized. This can be seen in the form looked, with the underlying
representation /lʊkt/. It is pronounced [lʊʔkt]. Another rule in English which is called fortis stop
insertion shall be considered here as rule A. This rule inserts a voiceless plosive for example in
/prɪns/ (prince), so that the new form of the word becomes [prɪnts]. Because a new phonological
context has been created in which rule B can take place, the final output form of prince is [prɪnʔts].

Counterfeeding order

If the order of rules which are in feeding order is reversed, this is said to be a counterfeeding order.

If we have two rules, rule A which looks like x → y and rule B which looks like y → z the following is a
counterfeeding order:

B: y→z
A: x→y

An example of this can be seen in French, where petite nièce ("little niece") is pronounced [pətit
njɛs]. If the rule which deletes word-final /-ə/ in French had been applied before another rule which
deletes word-final consonants before another consonant, this would have been an example of
feeding order and the "final output" form (surface form) would have been [pəti njɛs] instead.

A counter-feeding order very often creates phonological opacity. In the given case, it is the
application of the rule deleting word-final consonants which has thus become opaque in French.

In historical linguistics, a sequence of rules in counterfeeding order is called a chain shift. A chain
shift can be presented graphically like the following:

a→b→c→d

where only one rule can apply. The result is that what was originally a becomes b, what was
originally b becomes c, what was originally c becomes d, etc. In essence, each sound "shifts" one
position to the right. A good example of such a chain shift occurred as part of the Great Vowel Shift,
which took place historically in English around 1500 AD. The long front vowels were raised one
position, while the original high front vowel became a diphthong:

/aː/→/ɛː/→/eː/→/iː/→/əi/