Talk by Gísli Rúnar Harðarson (University of Iceland)

Date/Time: to
Location: Campus Augustusplatz, Hörsaalgebäude, Hörsaal 6
Event series: CYCLOPS-Colloquium

The width of a cycle: Outlining a cyclic direct reference approach to the syntax-phonology interface

Abstract: In this talk I outline a direct reference approach to the syntax-phonology interface through examining the various tools available in the theoretical toolbox of Distributed Morphology. The crucial components of this approach include cyclicity, both in the sense of incremental bottom-up translation of the hierarchical structure to a phonological string (cf. Bobaljik 2000), and chunking of the derivation (cf. Uriagereka 1999, Chomsky 2001, a.o.), as well as interleaving of syntax and
phonology (Kaisse 1985, Uriagereka 1999, a.o.).

This approach is illustrated through examining apparent mismatches between syntactic and phonological domains focusing on penultimate vowel lengthening (PVL) in Chicheŵa. PVL illustrates the problem from various points, edge effects, apparent irrelevance of D as a domain definer and branchingness effects. I argue that these problems, however, are a product of particular theoretical assumptions and thus not inherent to cyclic spell-out accounts and can be handled through a careful examination of syntax and the spell-out process. I then follow this up with a discussion of a preliminary study on the relevance of the internal structure of the DP in Icelandic for
the distribution of H%, which seem to align with prediction of the spell-out model, thus further indicating the relevance for D as a domain definer at the syntax-phonology interface.

 

 

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