The Linearization of Affixes: Evidence from Nuu-chah-nulth

This book is a revision of my doctoral dissertation, completed at the University of British Columbia in 2005. The members of my doctoral committee ? Henry Davis, Rose-Marie Déchaine, Martina Wiltschko ? were instrumental in shaping the content and presentation of this work, and I owe them my gratitude for their considerable input. As my supervisor, Henry gave me great latitude in this project, and his encouragement and enthusiasm made fieldwork all the more exciting. This final product would not have been nearly as strong without the benefit of Rose-Marie's sharp intuition and critiques, and I appreciate the memories I have of leaving meetings with her feeling absolutely invigorated. Martina always knew all the right questions to ask, and I came to count on her reliable feedback. It was an honour to be a part of the UBC linguistics department, and I thank all its members for their part in creating the lively environment I enjoyed for my years there. My greatest thanks are due to the speakers of Nuu-chah-nulth who shared with me their time, their humour, and their love for their language: Mary Jane Dick, Katherine Fraser, Carrie Little, Archie Thompson, Barbara Touchie, Barney Williams Jr. , Barney Williams Sr. , Christine Nicolaye, Sarah Webster. Their patience and dedication was humbling, and I am indebted to them for the chance they gave me to learn so much.

Develops the innovative argument that affixation constitutes a means of satisfying the universal requirement that linguistic expressions be linearized Brings to light a range of new empirical data which is of central relevance to current debates on the nature of head movement Presents Nuu-chah-nulth affixation as proof-of-concept for the hypothesis that syntax is 'spelled out' to phonology in strictly minimal syntactic domains Develops a Minimalist approach to the linearization of affixal predicates in Nuu-chah-nulth

Klappentext

The linearization of syntactic constructs stands at the forefront of current research on the syntax-phonology interface. This book examines the problem of linearization from a new perspective: that of the linearization of affixes. The driving proposal of this book is that affixation provides a means of satisfying the universal requirement that linguistic outputs be linearized. This hypothesis is tested against extensive original data from Nuu-chah-nulth ("Nootka"; Wakashan family), an endangered Amerindian language remarkable for its complex morphology. This volume introduces typologically rare affixation effects to current theoretical debates surrounding the division of labour between the modules of the grammar.

Inhalt
PF Incorporation.- Clausal Architecture of Nuu-chah-nulth.- Nominal Complements of Affixal Predicates.- Verbal Complements of Affixal Predicates.- Implications.