The Minimal Phonological Phrase: Evidence from Māori

Abstract

This paper draws on the rich discussion surrounding the structural notion of the phrase in Māori, and extends that discussion by arguing that there is evidence for a minimal Phonological Phrase in the language. While minimality effects in phonology have been demonstrated for many languages, they are often manifested as a lower limit on the possible Prosodic Word—typically either a disyllabic or a bimoraic structure. This paper presents evidence from Māori that minimality effects involve structures in the prosodic hierarchy that are larger than the Prosodic Word. The analysis of the minimal Phonological Phrase relies on a condition that forces prosodic categories to branch. In most contexts where this condition is in danger of being violated, there is augmentation by an initial phrase particle; however, in contexts where singular personal pronouns are in subject position, these are phonologically incorporated into the preceding phrase.