Theoretic aspects of vowel harmony in Altaic languages

Based on the basic facts from Altaic languages, the article discusses the most significant formal properties which characterize vowel harmony systems of the languages in the conceptual framework of Autosegmental Phonology. The formal properties discussed include unboundedness, directionality, transparency of neutral vowels,( un-) predictability to the alternations of the suffixal vowels added to the neutral stems,and the sensitivity of rounding harmony processes to the phonological dimensions of the trigger and target vowels. The survey presented shows that the formal properties characterizing the vowel harmony systems constitute analytic challenges to the various assumptions in the conceptual framework concerning the structure of underlying representation, principles and parameters, the manner of rule application,phonological mechanisms and segmental structure. It is suggested that the future research into the formal properties of the vowel harmony systems in the Altaic languages, or perhaps vowel harmony in general,should follow the guidelines as depicted:( 1) the system of phonological symbols needs to be more accurately defined, as expected in SPE, on the one hand,and( 2) based on a better constructed representation with more accurate phonological symbols,a more possible explanation of the formal properties characterizing vowel harmony is expected to exist in the interface between phonology and phonetics,as anticipated in MP,on the other hand.