Matching and alignment

Abstract

This chapter shows that both Match and Align constraints are needed to account for an asymmetry in Japanese syntax-to-prosody mapping. In Japanese, four-word left-branching syntactic phrases undergo prosodic rebracketing, such that the first pair and second pair of words form distinct phonological phrases, while four-word right-branching syntactic phrases are matched to isomorphic phonological phrases. Match Theory is shown to be unable to explain this asymmetry, whereas Align constraints do not account for matching effects in recursive phonological phrases. Japanese is analyzed as involving the interaction of Match and Align with binarity constraints favoring phonological rebracketing. This indicates that both Match and Align are present in the universal set of syntax-prosody mapping constraints responsible for phonological phrasing.

Match Theory and the Asymmetry Problem: An Example from Stockholm Swedish

“…In order to examine whether the MIH can be extended to other cases of prosodic asymmetry, we discuss the mapping of syntactic phrases (XPs) to phonological phrases (henceforth ϕ) in Japanese. Bellik et al (2022) point out that the previous Match-based analysis by Ishihara (2014) cannot account for the asymmetric mapping of left-branching and right-branching structures in Japanese, and accordingly, argue that both Match and Alignment constraints are needed to account for the data. We revisit the data and suggest an alternative analysis which does not rely on Alignment-based mapping constraints.…”

“…Any empirical challenge that arises from adopting the MIH therefore deserves examination in future research. In the next section, we discuss the Asymmetry Problem in Japanese discussed by Bellik et al (2022), which appears to pose a challenge to our approach with the MIH.…”

“…Our approach can be contrasted with the argument made by Bellik et al (2022), who discuss (among other issues related to Match Theory) the Asymmetry Problem based on Japanese data. Bellik et al (2022) correctly point out that the Match-based analysis of Japanese ϕ-phrasing by Ishihara (2014) cannot properly account for the Asymmetry Problem. To solve the problem, they argue that both Match and Alignment constraints are needed.…”

“…The phrasing asymmetry discussed by Bellik et al (2022) is schematically illustrated in ( 18), together with actual examples in (19). 7 In the left-branching structure in (18a), the rhythmic effect (which is expressed by BINARITY constraints and introduced later) suppresses the effect of the Match constraints, resulting in a prosodic structure which does not reflect the syntactic embedding.…”

“…In Section 4, theoretical implications of the account are discussed. After the MIH is presented (Section 4.1), the Asymmetry Problem in Japanese discussed by Bellik et al (2022) is reviewed (Section 4.2), which poses a challenge to the MIH. An alternative account that follows the MIH is proposed (Section 4.3).…”