A new theory of the structure of phonological representations for segments and syllables Based on 30 years of research, this book presents a theory about the 'speech sounds' that occur in human spoken and signed languages. Identifying the ultimate elements of which speech sounds consist, Harry van der Hulst proposes a radical theory that recognises only two elements: C and V. Based on a small set of first principles, the book explains what a possible speech sound is and provides explicit structures for all speech sounds that occur in the world's languages. With numerous examples from hundreds of languages, including Dutch, Czech, Japanese, Kabardian, Hungarian, Korean and Zulu, the book also provides insight into current theories of segmental structure, commonly used feature systems and recurrent controversies. Key features - Presents detailed analysis of phonological contrast - Introduces the central role of dependency relations in phonological structure - Offers comparison to other models including dependency phonology and government phonology - Covers both European and North-American theories - Contains introductions to many other theories including feature geometry models, the Toronto model, the parallel structure model and q-theory, which can be used for phonology courses - Draws on examples from a wide range of languages including Dutch, Czech, Japanese, Kabardian, Hungarian, Korean and Zulu Harry van der Hulst is Professor of Linguistics at the University of Connecticut. He is the Editor-in-Chief of The Linguistic Review and co-editor of the series Studies in Generative Grammar.