Speaker: Natalie Weber (Yale University)
Title: Resolving prosodic structure inside of polysynthetic words
Time: Friday, October 6th, 3:30pm – 5pm
Location: 32-141
Abstract:
Background
Over the last decade there has been a renewed interest in domain-delimited phonological processes and their correspondence with syntax (cf. Selkirk 2011; and overviews in Bennett & Elfner 2019; Elfner 2018; Elordieta 2008, Scheer 2011). Mismatches between phonological domains and syntactic constituents constitute a strong argument for an indirect theory of phonology, where phonological processes are delimited by a prosodic structure which is distinct from syntactic structure (Downing 1999; Hayes 1989; Inkelas 1993; Nespor & Vogel 2007/1986; Pierrehumbert & Beckman 1988; Selkirk 1986; Selkirk 1984). However, even within this framework there are open questions about the visibility and directionality of syntactic and prosodic constituents. This talk addresses two:
- Modularity of syntax and phonology? Many recent theories allow morphosyntactic and prosodic representations to correspond within the same computational architecture (e.g. Alignment Theory: McCarthy & Prince 1994, Selkirk 1996, Werle 2009; Wrap Theory: Kabak & Revithiadou 2009, Truckenbrodt 1996, 1999; Match Theory: Elfner 2012, Selkirk 2011). Other theories require some amount of modularity (e.g., Scheer 2011; MSO-PI-PO: Itô & Mester 2023; Lee & Selkirk 2023).
- Serial or parallel resolution of prosodic structure? Many recent theories implicitly or explicitly allow phonological derivation across a phonological representation which includes all prosodic categories at once (e.g., most theories of Prosodic Phonology, Nespor & Vogel 2011/1986, Selkirk 2011). Other theories require serial computation of prosodic categories from the innermost to the outermost (e.g., Cophonologies by Phrase: Sande et al. 2020; Stratal OT: Bermúdez-Otero 1999, Kiparsky 2000, 2008).
Prosodic structure within Blackfoot
This talk focuses on phonological processes within the verb in Blackfoot (Algonquian), a polysynthetic language. I argue that prosodic structure in Blackfoot shows that modularity and serial derivation must be maintained. The analytic framework I adopt is similar in some ways to Stratal OT (Bermúdez-Otero 1999, Kiparsky 2000, 2008), but without the same assumptions of how morphosyntactic structure maps to prosodic structure. The reason is that there is independent syntactic evidence in Blackfoot that the stem and the verbal complex are constructed in phrasal syntax. This in turn suggests that prosodic structure “within the word” may arise from the same kinds of correspondences with syntax that occur at the phonological phrase level.