On the Nature of the Syntax-Phonology Interface: Cliticization and Related Phenomena (North-Holland Linguistic Series: Linguistic Variations): 60 - Hardcover

Bošković, Željko

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0080439357 ISBN 13: 9780080439358

Publisher: Brassey's (UK) Ltd, 2001

Synopsis

The theoretical domain of investigation of this volume is the nature of the syntax-phonology interface. The empirical domain of investigation is cliticization in South Slavic. The volume also examines several phenomena that raise theoretical issues related to those involved in South Slavic cliticization, namely, multiple wh-fronting in Slavic and Romanian, Germanic V-2, object shift and stylistic fronting in Scandinavian, and negation in Romance. The central theoretical questions considered in the volume are how syntax and phonology interact with each other and whether PF can affect word order. It is argued that PF does affect word order, but not through actual PF movement. The volume makes new proposals concerning the structural representation of clitics and the nature of clitic clustering. It also provides an account of the second position effect and teases apart the role of syntax and phonology in cliticization and the second position phenomenon.

About this title

Review

Kleanthes Grohmann
I believe Boskovic succeeds in presenting a quite complex state of affairs in manageable ways. At no point is the reader overwhelmed with data and discussion, but data and discussion are plentiful throughout this chapter (and the entire book, in fact).
Linguist List
Steven Franks, Indiana University
On the Nature of the Syntax-Phonology Interface brings together a fascinating array of facts, primarily drawn from the South Slavic languages, to argue for an account of clitics based on the phonological filtering of syntactically motivated structures. Not only does this approach neatly reconcile inconsistencies inherent to purely syntactic or purely prosodic accounts, but it provides compelling empirical support for important recent advances in syntactic theory. Boskovic's analysis does this by exploiting the idea of scattered copy deletion in novel ways, and by making critical use of the Linear Correspondence Axiom and Multiple Spell-Out. The result is a strictly derivational model with far-reaching analytical consequences for diverse language phenomena. On the Nature of the Syntax-Phonology Interface offers an invaluable contribution to current understanding of the Syntax-Phonology interface and, in so doing, opens up exciting new avenues of study.

Andrew Caink, University of Westminster
It presents a startlingly elegant analysis of much previously recalcitrant data in South Slavic and brings to light a great deal of fresh data. It is an important contribution to the field as a whole and withing Slavic linguistics it has already set a new benchmark for any discussion of cliticisation.
Journal of Linguistics, Volume 39

Edition details

• Publisher: Brassey's (UK) Ltd
• Publication date: 2001
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0080439357
• ISBN 13: 9780080439358
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 340