Abstract
In this paper we argue for an analysis of Object Shift in Mainland Scandinavian in which the shifted word order is the result of a prosodic repair to enable weak pronoun incorporation. We observe that varieties with optional OS also have a tone accent contrast. We argue that the in-situ word order is licensed in these dialects because tonal accent creates a prosodic domain licensing the incorporation of the weak pronoun. The proposal has important implications for our understanding of the architecture of the grammar – it provides evidence that at least some cases of word order can better be attributed to phonological computation, rather than to narrow syntax.
| Translated title of the contribution | Öbject shift - variation inom det fastlandsskandinaviska området och prosodisk reparation |
|---|---|
| Original language | English |
| Number of pages | 57 |
| Journal | Linguistic Inquiry |
| Publication status | Submitted - 2017 Oct 3 |
Subject classification (UKÄ)
- Specific Languages
Free keywords
- object shift
- prosodic repair
- tone accent unit
- match theory
- swedish
- ærø danish
- syntax
- phonology