Jason Kandybowicz

On Prosodic Vacuity and Verbal Resumption in Asante Twi

I argue that verbal resumption (the occurrence of an additional default verbal element yε meaning ‘do’) in Asante Twi is prosodically conditioned. Following the MATCH theory of syntactic-prosodic constituency correspondence (Selkirk 2011), I propose that phonosyntactic constituency matching requires, at the minimum, avoidance of phonetically empty transferred syntactic structures (i.e., prosodic vacuity). I show that Twi verbal resumption is highly constrained and occurs precisely in those contexts where a prosodically vacuous domain would otherwise be mapped from a fully evacuated syntactic Spell- Out domain. As a measure of last resort, a late default-form insertion of the verb root (the yε-form) occurs to evade prosodic vacuity and ensure a matching correspondence between syntactic and prosodic constituents at PF. Because an additional higher copy of the verb root (i.e., the lexical verb) survives as well, Twi verbal resumption represents an instance of multiple copy Spell-Out. The article thus bears on several issues concerning the syntax-phonology interface, among them the nature of prosodic mapping and the conditions regulating multiple copy realization.

Wh- question formation in Krachi

Abstract This article describes wh- question formation in Krachi, an under-documented and threatened Kwa language of the North Guang branch of the Tano phylum. Krachi employs a variety of wh- question formation strategies, including the regionally and genetically prevalent strategies of wh- movement and wh- in-situ, as well as partial wh- movement, a highly marked phenomenon in Kwa. Based on fieldwork, we investigate the properties of each question formation strategy, focusing on the distribution of interrogative items and the constraints imposed upon interrogatives across each strategy. We compare these properties in Krachi with those in Akan, the most thoroughly studied Tano language, and find that although there are some similarities, the majority of the features defining Krachi wh- question formation are absent in Akan.