Abstract
This paper argues that Match Theory (Selkirk 2011) cannot account for some types of phrasal syntax-prosody correspondence in Blackfoot (Algonquian; Frantz 2017). I focus on the verbal complex and show that the verbal complex contains phrasal syntactic structure all the way up to a CP phrase, and that it contains two distinct prosodic constituents corresponding the vP/VP and the CP, respectively. Since the verbal complex contains phrasal syntax, theories of phrasal syntax-prosody correspondences should apply. I argue that the definitions of the syntactic units which correspond to prosodic constituents must be redefined based on phases, and show how a phase-based revision of Match Theory can account for the syntax-prosody correspondence in Blackfoot verbal complexes. The result is a unified theory of the prosodic phonology of stems and phrases which is built on universal syntactic definitions. Although Match Theory is the theoretical focus of this paper, the evidence from Blackfoot implies that phrasal syntax-prosody correspondences can and should be brought 'below the word' in any theory of prosodic phonology.
Highlights
Research on prosodic phonology over the past 40 years has shown that prosodic structure is closely related to syntactic structure, but may mismatch in ways that are phonologically optimizing
The result is a unified theory of the prosodic phonology of stems and phrases which is built on universal syntactic definitions
(15) PROSODY OF THE VERBAL COMPLEX {person–prefix*– (STEM)Prosodic Word (PWd) –suffixes}PPh. It is not the focus of this paper, there is a distinct Phonological Phrase (PPh) constituent which corresponds to the entire verbal complex, designated with { } above
Summary
Research on prosodic phonology over the past 40 years has shown that prosodic structure is closely related to syntactic structure, but may mismatch in ways that are phonologically optimizing (cf. Downing, 1999; Inkelas, 1990; Ladd, 2008; Nespor & Vogel, 2007; Selkirk, 1986, 2011; Truckenbrodt, 1999). Recent constructionist theories argue that complex words are constructed using the same syntactic principles which underlie phrases (Borer, 2013; Halle & Marantz, 1993; Marantz, 1997; Starke, 2009) These developments in phonology and syntax raise the possibility that phrasal and wordinternal prosodic constituents could be defined by correspondence to phrasal syntactic constituents, without relying on languagespecific morphological definitions. This paper takes this idea seriously by analyzing the prosodic and syntactic structure of the verbal complex in Blackfoot (Algonquian; Frantz 2017), a polysynthetic, strongly headmarking language. The result is a unified theory of the prosodic phonology of stems and phrases which is built on universal syntactic definitions
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