The phonetics phonology overlap

Abstract

The concept of an interface in linguistics implies a connection between two distinct theoretical domains, each concerned with a distinct group of linguistic phenomena. If the domains or phenomena are very different, the purpose and nature of an interface in the theory is to state (explicitly and without redundancy) any necessary connections between what would otherwise be independent aspects of the grammar. On the other hand, if the domains or phenomena have numerous similarities, the interface is additionally characterised by theoretical competition between descriptions of and explanations for particular phenomena. In this situation, linguistic data are thought to be capable of providing evidence for particular theories of modular demarcation.