Bàsàa Wh-questions and Prosodic Structuring
- We show that wh-words are a tool to investigate the prosodic structure of Bàsàa. Our claim is that the end of an Intonation Phrase (IP) can be identified by the presence of a long vowel on the wh-word. We propose that wh-words, which sometimes surface as C´V and sometimes as C´V´V, are underlyingly of the C´V form and they introduce a floating H. Whenever the association of this floating H with the first tone bearing unit that follows the wh-word is prevented by the presence of an IP boundary, a mora is created on the wh-word in order to realize the floating H. We briefly discuss the interface approach of Immediately After the Verb (IAV) focus (Costa and Kula, 2008) and we show that Bàsàa wh-questions and answers do not support this hypothesis. Finally, Bàsàa fronted whphrases, just like Hausa’s fronted foci (Leben et al., 1989), seem to provide support to the idea that intonational effects are also at play in the present tone language.
Author: | Fatima Hamlaoui, Emmanuel-Moselly Makasso |
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URN: | urn:nbn:de:hebis:30:3-310608 |
URL: | http://www.zas.gwz-berlin.de/zaspil540.html |
ISSN: | 1435-9588 |
ISSN: | 0947-7055 |
Parent Title (English): | Questions in Bantu languages : prosodies and positions; [papers ... at the Workshop on Bantu Wh-questions, held at the Institut des Sciences de l'Homme, Univ.; Lyon 2, on 25 - 26 March 2011 ...] / Laura J. Downing (ed.), Zentrum für Allgemeine Sprachwissenschaft, Berlin; ZASPil Vol. 55, S. 47-63 |
Publisher: | Zentrum für Allgemeine Sprachwissenschaft |
Place of publication: | Berlin |
Document Type: | Part of a Book |
Language: | English |
Year of Completion: | 2011 |
Year of first Publication: | 2011 |
Publishing Institution: | Universitätsbibliothek Johann Christian Senckenberg |
Release Date: | 2013/11/14 |
GND Keyword: | Prosodie; Intonation <Linguistik>; Interrogativsatz; Basaa-Sprache |
Volume: | 55 |
Page Number: | 17 |
First Page: | 47 |
Last Page: | 63 |
HeBIS-PPN: | 381155137 |
Sammlungen: | Linguistik |
Linguistik-Klassifikation: | Linguistik-Klassifikation: Syntax |
Linguistik-Klassifikation: Phonetik/Phonologie / Phonetics/Phonology | |
Zeitschriften / Jahresberichte: | ZAS papers in linguistics : ZASPiL / ZASPiL 55 = Questions in Bantu Languages : Prosodies and Positions |
: | urn:nbn:de:hebis:30:3-310439 |
Licence (German): | Deutsches Urheberrecht |