I blame the government

There are many competing theories of phonology, each seeking to best explain the range of phonological processes and types of segmental inventories which are attested in the languages of the world. This paper seeks to investigate the claims and assumptions of one such theory: ‘Government Phonology’. The starting point for discussion is Shohei Yoshida’s monograph Phonological Government in Japanese, in which the author endeavours to apply the theory to a range of phonological and morphophonological data from Japanese. Certain of Yoshida’s specific claims are discussed, but the aim of this piece is wider than a simple review. The chief theoretical concepts used in the theory are introduced and critically discussed, and various connections to other theories of phonology in particular and language in general are investigated.