The Intonation of Interrogation in Palermo Italian: Implications for intonation theory

ISBN-13: 9783484303348 / Angielski / Twarda / 1995 / 230 str.

Martine Grice

Opis

In Palermo Italian yes-no interrogatives, if the last syllable of a phrase is unstressed, the nuclear pitch contour is rising-falling, whereas if it is stressed, the contour is simply rising. An autosegmental analysis, where pitch configurations are expressed in terms of H(igh) and L(ow) tones which are either part of a pitch accent or at intermediate or intonation phrase boundaries, is shown to offer the flexibility necessary to account for such context-dependent variation. The interrogative marker consists of a L*+H pitch accent. There is no paradigmatic contrast on the intermediate phrase boundary tone (it is always L) which means that its function is purely delimitative. This tone is only fully realised when a postaccentual syllable is available to carry it; technically, it requires a secondary attachment to a syllable. The absence of the falling part of the L*+HL (L) configuration in phrases with no postaccentual syllable is thus explained.