Chapter 3
Prosody and the organization of information in Central Pomo, a California indigenous
language
In some theoretical frameworks, it is assumed that prosodic
structure is a direct reflection of syntactic structure. Close examination of unscripted
speech confirms that though the two often work in concert, they are distinct. Prosodic
structure differs from grammatical structure in some fundamental ways. Prosody (pitch,
intensity, rhythm) involves continua and can be more responsive to certain subtle
differences in cognitive state, discourse context, and interactive goals. Grammar
(morphology and syntax) can mark more distinctions, but these are categorical and
conventionalized: an affix is either present or absent; one constituent either precedes or
follows another. Here some prosodic structures, their functions, and their relation to
grammatical structures are discussed with examples from Central Pomo, a language indigenous
to Northern California.
Article outline
- 1.Introduction
- 2.Intonation Units and the packaging of information
- 3.Sentence boundaries
- 4.Subjects, objects, and topicalization
- 5.Clause linking
- 6.Conclusion
-
Abbreviations
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References
References (6)
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Bossaglia, Giulia, Heliana Mello & Tommaso Raso
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