Get that into your head: Tigre vowel harmonies as templatic

This article argues that vocalic expressions are templatic: they have a head position and a dependent position. It follows that the same element can appear in both positions. The proposal is discussed and illustrated through an analysis of two types of harmony in the Ethio-Semitic language Tigre: lowering harmony and rounding harmony. Building on the original account of lowering harmony in Lowenstamm & Prunet (1988), and presenting for the first time collected data from the Səmhər dialect, it is argued that harmony can be construed as the fusion of the head or “Target” positions in the templates of adjacent expressions. It is further shown that syllables, too, can have a “Target” position, which is determined by their onset. Lowering harmony operates on this level as well. This article is part of the special collection: Headedness in Phonology