Major Phrase, Focus Intonation, Multiple Spell-Out (MaP, FI, MSO)

Abstract

The article discusses interactions between syntactic derivation, semantic scopal relations, and prosodic phrasing in Japanese. I claim that the Major Phrase (MaP) is a result of the mapping of Multiple Spell-Out (MSO) domains onto prosody. I also claim that a Focus Intonation (FI), a prosodic domain triggered by focus, is created independently of MaP phrasing, contrary to previously proposed analyses, in which a FI is created by modifying MaP phrasing. The interactions between prosodic phrasing and semantic scope can be better explained by distinguishing between MaP and FI. I claim that quantifiers and their scopes are sensitive to MaP boundaries, while focus-related scope-taking elements such as wh-phrase and negative polarity items are sensitive to FI domains. This generalization is explained under the MSO analysis of MaP/FI formation proposed in this article.