This paper describes the main formal and interpretational properties of Kinyakyusa subject inversion. Kinyakyusa features only one type of inversion, Agreeing Inversion, whereby the subject marker... Show moreThis paper describes the main formal and interpretational properties of Kinyakyusa subject inversion. Kinyakyusa features only one type of inversion, Agreeing Inversion, whereby the subject marker agrees with the postverbal subject. Predicates of all valencies are allowed, but with a transitive predicate, only the subject can appear as a postverbal NP, and the object must be either dislocated or pronominalised. The postverbal subject (as opposed to the preverbal subject) seems to require a contrastive interpretation, either contrasting with alternatives, or contrasting with expectations. Show less
The acoustic-phonetic characteristics of speech sounds are influenced by their linguistic position in an utterance. Because of acoustic-phonetic differences between different speech sounds, sounds... Show moreThe acoustic-phonetic characteristics of speech sounds are influenced by their linguistic position in an utterance. Because of acoustic-phonetic differences between different speech sounds, sounds vary in the amount of speaker information they contain. However, do spectral and durational differences between various realizations of the same sound that were sampled from different linguistic positions also impact speaker information? We investigated speaker discrimination in [-focus] versus [+focus] word realizations. Twenty-one Dutch listeners participated in a same-different speaker discrimination task, using stimuli varying in focus, vowel ([a.], [u]), and word context ([._k], [v_t]), spoken by 11 different speakers. Results show that an effect of focus on speaker-dependent information was present, but limited to words containing [u]. Moreover, performance on [u] words was influenced by (interactions of) word context and trial type (same- vs. different-speaker). Context-dependent changes in a speech sound’s acoustics may affect its speaker-dependent information, albeit under specific conditions only. Show less
In addition to the stem and noun class prefix, the structure of nouns in Bantu languages may contain an augment. This augment typically is a vowel, but some languages show a CV augment.... Show moreIn addition to the stem and noun class prefix, the structure of nouns in Bantu languages may contain an augment. This augment typically is a vowel, but some languages show a CV augment. Interestingly, the Bantu language Kinyakyusa shows nouns with a V as well as with a CV prefix, both of which have been analysed as augments (De Blois 1970). In this short paper we clarify the formal and functional properties of the ‘CV augment’ in Kinyakyusa. First we show that it does not behave like the V augment, but is a separate marker that is attached to the noun phrase. Second, we narrow down the previous analyses of the CV marker that describe it as ‘emphatic’ (De Blois 1970, Persohn 2020): On the basis of a range of focus tests, we argue that the CV marker functions as a marker of exhaustivity. This is remarkable, as exhaustive focus is in Bantu languages typically associated with marking in the clause and not on the noun itself. Show less
This dissertation investigates the properties of a particular type of question, namely wh-in-situ questions in French. It examines their properties from two perspectives related to the context in... Show moreThis dissertation investigates the properties of a particular type of question, namely wh-in-situ questions in French. It examines their properties from two perspectives related to the context in which a question is uttered. These are (a) the information structure of the sentence, specifically focus and givenness, and (b) the distinction between regular information seeking questions and echo questions.An important result is the insight that French has two mechanisms to interpret wh-in-situ questions, yielding potentially identical looking questions with different properties. While certain speakers only have one of these mechanisms to interpret wh-in-situ questions in their grammar, others, often younger speakers, have both. This explains much of the data confusion regarding the properties of French wh-in-situ questions.The investigation also provides more general insights into the relation between wh-questions and aspects of the preceding context. While it is often assumed that the focus in wh-questions necessarily equals the wh-phrase, the dissertation shows experimentally that this is not the case in all languages. In languages like French, what is focused may depend on the preceding context, as in declaratives. The dissertation also suggests a direction of research for contextually restricted wh-in-situ in wh-fronting languages like English and German Show less
In the project ‘Bantu Syntax and Information Structure’ (BaSIS) we want to learn about the expression of information structure in Bantu languages. Which linguistic strategies do Bantu languages use... Show moreIn the project ‘Bantu Syntax and Information Structure’ (BaSIS) we want to learn about the expression of information structure in Bantu languages. Which linguistic strategies do Bantu languages use to mark the focus of a sentence, for example, or for shifting to another topic? This is important because information structure has a fundamental impact on the grammar of Bantu languages. It is therefore crucial to investigate information structure so that we can fully describe and understand these languages.For each individual language, we want to systematically discover which strategies are used for which functions in information structure. In order to do that, two things are required: on the one hand we need to gather the relevant data, and on the other hand we need to understand how we can draw the right conclusions from these data. This document aims to help in both the data gathering and the understanding. If you read and work your way through it, by the end you can explain the key concepts in information structure, you know which tests can be used to diagnose the meaning of a linguistic strategy, and you can draw conclusions about form/meaning mapping on the basis of the data that you gather from understudied languages. The document consists of three parts. Part I presents and explains various notions in information structure. This part is built up step by step, with exercises in between. These exercises are included to help you to reflect on the notions and diagnostics for yourself, and thereby better understand the material. It is recommended to do the exercises before reading on, because they stimulate you to think and therefore retain the knowledge better. The key to the exercises can be found at the end of Part I. Part II contains a series of diagnostics to be conducted in collaboration with a native speaker informant. This is the key methodology for the BaSIS project, and with its results we can draw well-motivated conclusions on the expression of information structure in each language. Part III provides diagnostics for abstract Case and nominal licensing. This is also of essence to the BaSIS project, because the hypothesis underlying the BaSIS project is that nominal licensing is fundamentally influenced by information structure in the Bantu languages. Show less
This dissertation examines word order variation in the Koine Greek of the New Testament Greek in a variety of domains: declarative clauses, questions and relative clauses. In particular, I examine... Show moreThis dissertation examines word order variation in the Koine Greek of the New Testament Greek in a variety of domains: declarative clauses, questions and relative clauses. In particular, I examine the way in which word order corresponds to information structure. It is argued that although New Testament Greek shows a variety of possible permutations of the sentence elements subject (S), verb (V) and object (O), in declarative clauses, questions and relative clauses, the word order is not free. Rather, it is partly governed by phrase structure and partly by information structural considerations such as Topic and Focus. This is manifested in all of the domains investigated. I argue that the basic word order is best described as VSO with an SVO alternative basic word order. Marked clauses, such as SOV, OVS, OSV and also some SVO clauses involve topicalization or focus movement of the arguments. This thesis is of interest to syntacticians who are interested in word order and the syntax-pragmatics interface as well as to historical linguistics and classics scholars. Show less
In most languages, focus (i.e. highlighting information) is marked by modifying the melody of the sentence. But how is focus marked in a Chinese dialect with eight different citation tones and a... Show moreIn most languages, focus (i.e. highlighting information) is marked by modifying the melody of the sentence. But how is focus marked in a Chinese dialect with eight different citation tones and a complex tonal phonology?This thesis investigates the connection between tonal realization and tone change (tone sandhi) in Wenzhou Chinese, and whether and how such a connection is conditioned by prosodic structure and focus marking. Experiments were conducted with young speakers of Wenzhou Chinese, whose speech was acoustically analyzed so as to investigate the application domain of tone sandhi and the influence of focus thereon, the tonal realization on the word and phrase level and its interaction with focus, the pre-planning of sentential pitch, as well as the realization of referents with different information statuses. The experimental findings suggest that the application, but not the implementation, of tone sandhi is independent of focus, and that focus and prosodic structure have similar but independent effects on the realization of lexical tones. It is also shown that pitch scaling is sensitive to syntactic structure and complexity, and that the marking of givenness, broad focus, and narrow focus leads to discrete levels along the same acoustic parameters. These findings are of interest to researchers working on lexical tone, prosodic structure, and how information structure categories such as focus affect tonal realization and prosodic phrasing. Show less
