"Shaping Phonology collects essays on the sound structure of language with special attention to, and appreciation of, the work of John Goldsmith. . . . The book comprises two parts, the first dealing with the multidimensional nature of sound structure and the second with recent work in machine learning, computational modeling, and statistical analysis of linguistic data. . . . Especially notable are Brentari's essay on sign language phonology and a closing essay by Mark Liberman on the symbol/signal distinction. . . . The essays are technical, of consistently high quality. . . . Shaping Phonology will be of special interest to scholars of the history of linguistics and to phonologists and phoneticians. . . . Recommended."

Choice

“This unique collection contains outstanding chapters that I am sure will prove influential in the field of linguistics, and phonology in particular. I am impressed at the chapters’ variety—historical surveys, analyses, and theoretical proposals—and by how intensely and profoundly they engage with John Goldsmith’s research. It will be essential for linguists to have access to this book.”

Paul de Lacy, Rutgers University, editor of "The Cambridge Handbook of Phonology"

“John Goldsmith’s invention of autosegmental phonology was foundational, the coin of the phonologist’s realm. His work opened a door to a new landscape, and this book tells the recent history, after Goldsmith, of phonology, going into many fascinating new subproblems. It will be a kind of watershed. All students of phonology will be required to know it, and to situate themselves with respect to it. Shaping Phonology is an essential book.”

Haj Ross, University of North Texas