adjacent (adj.)

An application of the general sense of this term in several areas of LINGUISTICS, especially in GENERATIVE models of language, where it refers specifically to neighboring elements in a REPRESENTATION. For example, some phonological models require a ‘LOCALITY condition’: phonological rules apply only between elements which are next to each other on a given TIER. In FEATURE GEOMETRY, for instance, the neighboring representation of features or NODES on a TIER are said to be adjacent, and those separated by other elements to be non-adjacent. In this context, the notion of adjacency is sometimes extended to include features on different tiers, which count as adjacent if they are linked to adjacent ROOT nodes. In METRICAL PHONOLOGY, the ‘metrical locality principle’ requires that rules refer only to elements at the same or adjacent layers of metrical structure. See also ADJACENCY PAIR, ADJACENCY CONDITION, LOCALITY.