On optional wh-/focus fronting in Igbo
- This paper discusses surface optionality in focus fronting in the Benue-Congo language Igbo. A focused XP can occur in-situ or ex-situ. We argue that the optionality does not have its origins in the syntax: in fact, exactly one focused XP has to move to the designated focus position in the left periphery in the syntax. The alternation between in-situ and ex-situ rather arises at PF: either the lowest or the topmost copy of the focus chain is pronounced. The choice is determined by semantic-pragmatic factors, i. e., we see an interaction between PF and LF. This constitutes a challenge for a strict version of the Y-model of grammar.
| Author details: | Mary Chimaobi AmaechiORCiDGND, Doreen GeorgiORCiD |
|---|---|
| DOI: | https://doi.org/10.1515/zfs-2020-2017 |
| ISSN: | 0721-9067 |
| ISSN: | 1613-3706 |
| Title of parent work (English): | Zeitschrift für Sprachwissenschaft |
| Subtitle (English): | a SYN-SEM-PHON interaction |
| Publisher: | De Gruyter |
| Place of publishing: | Berlin |
| Publication type: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Year of first publication: | 2020 |
| Publication year: | 2020 |
| Release date: | 2023/03/28 |
| Tag: | (A)over-bar-movement; Benue-Congo languages; PF-optionality; Y-model; copy; focus realization; pronounciation |
| Volume: | 39 |
| Issue: | 3 |
| Number of pages: | 29 |
| First page: | 299 |
| Last Page: | 327 |
| Funding institution: | Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG, German Research Foundation)German; Research Foundation (DFG) [317633480 - SFB 1287] |
| Organizational units: | Humanwissenschaftliche Fakultät / Strukturbereich Kognitionswissenschaften / Department Linguistik |
| DDC classification: | 4 Sprache / 40 Sprache / 400 Sprache |
| Peer review: | Referiert |
| License (German): |  CC-BY - Namensnennung 4.0 International |
