Jason Kandybowicz
- Published in print:
- 2020
- Published Online:
- November 2020
- ISBN:
- 9780197509739
- eISBN:
- 9780197509777
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/oso/9780197509739.001.0001
- Subject:
- Linguistics, Syntax and Morphology
This book develops a theory of wh- prosody according to which wh- expressions must avoid forming prosodic constituents with overt complementizers at the level of Intonational Phrase. The theory is ...
More
This book develops a theory of wh- prosody according to which wh- expressions must avoid forming prosodic constituents with overt complementizers at the level of Intonational Phrase. The theory is inspired by Richards’s (2010, 2016) Contiguity Theory and is based empirically on asymmetries in the distribution of wh- items in five West African languages: Krachi (Kwa: Ghana), Bono (Kwa: Ghana), Wasa (Kwa: Ghana), Asante Twi (Kwa: Ghana), and Nupe (Benue-Congo: Nigeria). The observations and analyses stem from original fieldwork on all five languages and represent some of the first prosodic descriptions of the languages. The theory is shown to successfully derive a number of famous and less well-known asymmetries in wh- in-situ distribution in a variety of languages unrelated to those the theory was originally designed to analyze. Against the backdrop of data from eighteen languages, the theory is parameterized to account for wh- item distribution across typologically diverse languages.Less
This book develops a theory of wh- prosody according to which wh- expressions must avoid forming prosodic constituents with overt complementizers at the level of Intonational Phrase. The theory is inspired by Richards’s (2010, 2016) Contiguity Theory and is based empirically on asymmetries in the distribution of wh- items in five West African languages: Krachi (Kwa: Ghana), Bono (Kwa: Ghana), Wasa (Kwa: Ghana), Asante Twi (Kwa: Ghana), and Nupe (Benue-Congo: Nigeria). The observations and analyses stem from original fieldwork on all five languages and represent some of the first prosodic descriptions of the languages. The theory is shown to successfully derive a number of famous and less well-known asymmetries in wh- in-situ distribution in a variety of languages unrelated to those the theory was originally designed to analyze. Against the backdrop of data from eighteen languages, the theory is parameterized to account for wh- item distribution across typologically diverse languages.
Jason Kandybowicz
- Published in print:
- 2020
- Published Online:
- November 2020
- ISBN:
- 9780197509739
- eISBN:
- 9780197509777
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/oso/9780197509739.003.0002
- Subject:
- Linguistics, Syntax and Morphology
This chapter focuses on the syntax and prosody of wh- in-situ in Krachi. In Krachi, wh- in-situ is available in both root and embedded contexts. Prosodically, embedded complement clauses in the ...
More
This chapter focuses on the syntax and prosody of wh- in-situ in Krachi. In Krachi, wh- in-situ is available in both root and embedded contexts. Prosodically, embedded complement clauses in the language are parsed as independent Intonational Phrases. The distribution of wh- in-situ in the language is considered against the backdrop of Richards’s (2010, 2016) Contiguity Theory. Given the prosodic facts previously mentioned, Contiguity Theory is shown to be incapable of accounting for long-distance wh- in-situ in the language, motivating an “anti-contiguity” theory of the prosody of wh- and C at the syntax-phonology interface.Less
This chapter focuses on the syntax and prosody of wh- in-situ in Krachi. In Krachi, wh- in-situ is available in both root and embedded contexts. Prosodically, embedded complement clauses in the language are parsed as independent Intonational Phrases. The distribution of wh- in-situ in the language is considered against the backdrop of Richards’s (2010, 2016) Contiguity Theory. Given the prosodic facts previously mentioned, Contiguity Theory is shown to be incapable of accounting for long-distance wh- in-situ in the language, motivating an “anti-contiguity” theory of the prosody of wh- and C at the syntax-phonology interface.
Jason Kandybowicz
- Published in print:
- 2020
- Published Online:
- November 2020
- ISBN:
- 9780197509739
- eISBN:
- 9780197509777
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/oso/9780197509739.003.0001
- Subject:
- Linguistics, Syntax and Morphology
This chapter establishes the empirical and theoretical goals of the book. It introduces the theoretical backdrop of Anti-contiguity Theory, situating the proposal within a framework inspired by ...
More
This chapter establishes the empirical and theoretical goals of the book. It introduces the theoretical backdrop of Anti-contiguity Theory, situating the proposal within a framework inspired by Richards’s (2010, 2016) Contiguity Theory. The chapter previews the book’s main findings and conclusions, while providing details about the book’s chapter-by-chapter organization. It alludes to a number of other issues and questions raised by the proposal and delineates which ones will be dealt with in the book and which will not. The chapter also introduces the book’s running theme—sometimes “syntax” is syntax, and sometimes “syntax” is phonology.Less
This chapter establishes the empirical and theoretical goals of the book. It introduces the theoretical backdrop of Anti-contiguity Theory, situating the proposal within a framework inspired by Richards’s (2010, 2016) Contiguity Theory. The chapter previews the book’s main findings and conclusions, while providing details about the book’s chapter-by-chapter organization. It alludes to a number of other issues and questions raised by the proposal and delineates which ones will be dealt with in the book and which will not. The chapter also introduces the book’s running theme—sometimes “syntax” is syntax, and sometimes “syntax” is phonology.
