Phonotactic Probability and the Maori Passive: A Computational Approach

Two analyses of Maori passives and gerunds have been debated in the literature. Both assume that the thematic consonants in these forms are unpredictable. This paper reports on three computational experiments designed to test whether this assumption is sound. The results suggest that thematic consonants are predictable from the phonotactic probabilities of their active counterparts. This study has potential implications for allomorphy in other Polynesian languages. It also exemplifies the benefits of using computational methods in linguistic analyses.