Phrase-Level ATR Vowel Harmony in Anum—A Case of Recursive Prosodic Phrasing
(1) Like many other Kwa languages, Anum employs a pattern of [ATR] vowel harmony that is regressive and [+ATR] dominant (RVH). This paper analyses RVH as a phrasal process which takes into account recursive phonological phrases. The proposal argues for an application of the process within and across...
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| Format: | Article |
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MDPI AG
2022-12-01
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| Series: | Languages |
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2226-471X/7/4/308 |
| _version_ | 1797456713815687168 |
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| author | Frank Kügler |
| author_facet | Frank Kügler |
| author_sort | Frank Kügler |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | (1) Like many other Kwa languages, Anum employs a pattern of [ATR] vowel harmony that is regressive and [+ATR] dominant (RVH). This paper analyses RVH as a phrasal process which takes into account recursive phonological phrases. The proposal argues for an application of the process within and across non-maximal phonological phrases (φ) and a blocking of application across maximal phonological phrases (φ<sub>max</sub>). (2) Investigating RVH in Anum in more detail, the size of constituents and the complexity of sentence structures are varied. Target sentences were recorded and transcribed for [ATR] vowel harmony. (3) The empirical data show that RVH applies frequently between words that belong to either the same or to different syntactic constituents, but is blocked between two verb phrases of a serial verb construction and between any word and a following sentence-final time adverbial. Interestingly, RVH occurs between a sentence-initial subject constituent and a following verb or verb phrase, independent of the size of the subject constituent and the remaining number of words in the sentence. (4) The proposed OT analysis accounts for RVH within syntax-phonology Match Theory and addresses both word-level and phrase-level harmony. The special behaviour of subject constituents that prosodically phrase together with verbs and with constituents of the verb phrase (VP) is discussed. Either a phonological well-formedness constraint or a syntactically distinct input may account for phrasing effects with subject constituents in Anum. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-09T16:11:48Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-43c31bdd5ea64cdd90d8ae01c97ce0de |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2226-471X |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-09T16:11:48Z |
| publishDate | 2022-12-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Languages |
| spelling | doaj.art-43c31bdd5ea64cdd90d8ae01c97ce0de2023-11-24T16:10:35ZengMDPI AGLanguages2226-471X2022-12-017430810.3390/languages7040308Phrase-Level ATR Vowel Harmony in Anum—A Case of Recursive Prosodic PhrasingFrank Kügler0Institute of Linguistics, Goethe University Frankfurt, Norbert-Wollheim-Platz 1, 60629 Frankfurt am Main, Germany(1) Like many other Kwa languages, Anum employs a pattern of [ATR] vowel harmony that is regressive and [+ATR] dominant (RVH). This paper analyses RVH as a phrasal process which takes into account recursive phonological phrases. The proposal argues for an application of the process within and across non-maximal phonological phrases (φ) and a blocking of application across maximal phonological phrases (φ<sub>max</sub>). (2) Investigating RVH in Anum in more detail, the size of constituents and the complexity of sentence structures are varied. Target sentences were recorded and transcribed for [ATR] vowel harmony. (3) The empirical data show that RVH applies frequently between words that belong to either the same or to different syntactic constituents, but is blocked between two verb phrases of a serial verb construction and between any word and a following sentence-final time adverbial. Interestingly, RVH occurs between a sentence-initial subject constituent and a following verb or verb phrase, independent of the size of the subject constituent and the remaining number of words in the sentence. (4) The proposed OT analysis accounts for RVH within syntax-phonology Match Theory and addresses both word-level and phrase-level harmony. The special behaviour of subject constituents that prosodically phrase together with verbs and with constituents of the verb phrase (VP) is discussed. Either a phonological well-formedness constraint or a syntactically distinct input may account for phrasing effects with subject constituents in Anum.https://www.mdpi.com/2226-471X/7/4/308recursive prosodic phrasingphrasal vowel harmonymaximal phonological phrase |
| spellingShingle | Frank Kügler Phrase-Level ATR Vowel Harmony in Anum—A Case of Recursive Prosodic Phrasing Languages recursive prosodic phrasing phrasal vowel harmony maximal phonological phrase |
| title | Phrase-Level ATR Vowel Harmony in Anum—A Case of Recursive Prosodic Phrasing |
| title_full | Phrase-Level ATR Vowel Harmony in Anum—A Case of Recursive Prosodic Phrasing |
| title_fullStr | Phrase-Level ATR Vowel Harmony in Anum—A Case of Recursive Prosodic Phrasing |
| title_full_unstemmed | Phrase-Level ATR Vowel Harmony in Anum—A Case of Recursive Prosodic Phrasing |
| title_short | Phrase-Level ATR Vowel Harmony in Anum—A Case of Recursive Prosodic Phrasing |
| title_sort | phrase level atr vowel harmony in anum a case of recursive prosodic phrasing |
| topic | recursive prosodic phrasing phrasal vowel harmony maximal phonological phrase |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2226-471X/7/4/308 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT frankkugler phraselevelatrvowelharmonyinanumacaseofrecursiveprosodicphrasing |