Parenthetical niching: A third‐factor phonosyntactic analysis. (8th January 2022)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: McInnerney, Andrew
• Is Part Of: Syntax. Volume 25:Number 3(2022)
• Page Start: 379
• Page End: 415
• Publication Date: 2022-01-08
• Subjects: syntax -- parentheticals -- phonological phrases -- syntactic workspace -- niching; Grammar, Comparative and general -- Syntax -- Periodicals; 415
• DOI: 10.1111/synt.12228
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 1368-0005

Abstract

Abstract: In this article, I develop a theory of how a syntactically unintegrated parenthetical is integrated with its host at the sensorimotor interface. First, I observe that the niches open to parentheticals, traditionally described in syntactic terms, are more accurately described in the terms of prosodic‐hierarchy theory. In particular, I show that a niche corresponds to a phonological‐phrase boundary. I then argue that this follows if a parenthetical is constructed in a separate syntactic workspace and is integrated with its host at the sensorimotor interface (without ever being integrated in narrow syntax) in a manner that is constrained by (i) certain properties of the syntactic workspace, (ii) the No‐Tampering Condition, and (iii) certain properties of the syntax–phonology mapping.