Information Structure, Syntax and Intonational Properties of Multiple Wh-Questions

I discuss multiple wh‐questions from the perspective of information structure. I argue that information‐structural effects differ between multiple wh‐questions with a pair‐list answer reading and ones with a single‐answer reading, thus the way of deriving them in narrow syntax differs too. I claim t...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Published inStudia linguistica Vol. 68; no. 2; pp. 198 - 225
Main Author Hosono, Mayumi
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published Oxford Blackwell Publishing Ltd 01.08.2014
Blackwell
Subjects
Descriptive studies and applied theories
Information Structure
Linguistics
Phases
Syntactic Analysis
Syntax
Syntax Phonology Relationship
Wh Phrases
Pitch accent
Wh-question
Wh-phrase
Information structure
Syntax
Spell-out
Online AccessGet full text
ISSN0039-3193
1467-9582
DOI10.1111/stul.12016

Cover

More Information
Summary:I discuss multiple wh‐questions from the perspective of information structure. I argue that information‐structural effects differ between multiple wh‐questions with a pair‐list answer reading and ones with a single‐answer reading, thus the way of deriving them in narrow syntax differs too. I claim that the spelled‐out positions of wh‐phrases are solely determined in the phonological component, specifically by the intonational properties of individual languages. I also argue that the Superiority Effect is derived from a conflicting pitch pattern caused by in‐situ monosyllabic wh‐subjects and no longer problematic in the current phase framework.
Bibliography:Many thanks to Anders Holmberg for his helpful comments and invaluable encouragement on this work. Thanks are also to Christer Platzack for his helpful comments on a former version of this paper, to Gisbert Fanselow for a lot of discussions on this issue and his great interest in this work, to Malte Zimmermann and Jana Häussler for useful discussions and their native judgment of German examples, and to Anikó Lipták for her helpful comments and native judgment of Hungarian examples. I am indebted to Radek Simik for insightful discussions, which contributed to a significant theoretical development of the current version of this paper. I am also indebted to Michael Rochemont for discussions of various possible and impossible intonational patterns of English multiple wh-questions. This work is supported by the SFB 632 'Information Structure', Potsdam University. The paper was presented at the Morphology-Syntax Colloquium, 25 October 2011, Potsdam University. I would like to thank the audience for their useful and helpful comments. I also would like to thank two anonymous reviewers of this paper. Finally, thanks to Gareth O'Neill for improving my English. I take all responsibility for the interpretation of data and any errors.
istex:295AF37418D13AAAA1A3C9E91F74759F49241DFE
ark:/67375/WNG-M3Z1H7HF-G
ArticleID:STUL12016
questions. This work is supported by the SFB 632 ‘Information Structure’, Potsdam University. The paper was presented at the Morphology‐Syntax Colloquium, 25 October 2011, Potsdam University. I would like to thank the audience for their useful and helpful comments. I also would like to thank two anonymous reviewers of this paper. Finally, thanks to Gareth O'Neill for improving my English. I take all responsibility for the interpretation of data and any errors.
wh
Many thanks to Anders Holmberg for his helpful comments and invaluable encouragement on this work. Thanks are also to Christer Platzack for his helpful comments on a former version of this paper, to Gisbert Fanselow for a lot of discussions on this issue and his great interest in this work, to Malte Zimmermann and Jana Häussler for useful discussions and their native judgment of German examples, and to Anikó Lipták for her helpful comments and native judgment of Hungarian examples. I am indebted to Radek Simik for insightful discussions, which contributed to a significant theoretical development of the current version of this paper. I am also indebted to Michael Rochemont for discussions of various possible and impossible intonational patterns of English multiple
ObjectType-Article-1
SourceType-Scholarly Journals-1
ObjectType-Feature-2
content type line 23
ISSN:0039-3193
1467-9582
DOI:10.1111/stul.12016