Effects of phonological phrasing on syntactic structure

Bibliographic Data

ID20344348
AuthorsNancy C Kula (0000-0002-8323-2573, Leiden University, corresponding author)
Year2007
Volume24
Issue2-3
Publication date2007-01-21
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessNo
TypeARTICLE
VenueThe Linguistic Review (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 0167-6318 • E-ISSN: 1613-3676
PublisherWalter de Gruyter GmbH (PUBLISHER • DE)
DOI10.1515/tlr.2007.008
OpenAlexW2003079885
LanguageEN
Citations received4
References cited10

Bantu languages are renowned as tone languages that utilize this suprasegmental feature not only on the lexical level to distinguish lexical items, but also on the grammatical level to distinguish clause types. This article investigates one such use of grammatical tone in relative clauses in Bemba where a low tone can be used in place of a segmental relative marker. This low tone relative morpheme functions in conjunction with phrase boundary tone indicated on the head noun and which entails either restrictive or non-restrictive interpretations of relatives. Considering a mapping of XPs to major phonological phrases in the syntax-prosody interface, the resultant phonological phrasing in relatives influences the choice of syntactic structure. In the case at hand, a head-raising analysis provides an optimal mapping between syntax and prosody for restrictives. Further, a more direct influence of phonology on syntax can be seen in a perception-based model like Dynamic Syntax where the on-line building of syntactic trees can gain import from phonological information

Linguistics · Morpheme · Natural language processing · Phonology · Prosody · Relative clause · Syntax · Computer Science · Language and cultural evolution · Phonetics and Phonology Research · Syntax, Semantics, Linguistic Variation

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