<OT> New Posting: ROA-922

[roa at ruccs.rutgers.edu]

ROA 922-0707

Aspect Splits As Contextual Faithfulness

Ellen Woolford <woolford at linguist.umass.edu>

Direct link: http://roa.rutgers.edu/view.php3?roa=922


Abstract:
This paper focuses on three examples of aspect splits, wherein
a particular Case, agreement form, or preposition is restricted,
to or prohibited in, the perfective aspect. In Hindi and
related languages, ergative Case is restricted to the perfective
aspect. This split provides evidence for contextual (positional)
faithfulness when its effect is viewed in combination with
a second split in Nepali which expands the distribution
of ergative Case into some imperfective contexts. The second
example of an aspect split has nothing to do with ergativity.
In Palauan, preposition insertion is prohibited in the perfective
aspect. This can be accounted for with either DEP-perfective
(P) or *P/perfective. This Palauan split is interesting
because it involves an aspect driven choice between two
possible 'repairs' to a phenomenon in clauses that resembles
coda conditions or onset faithfulness in syllables. The
third example of an aspect split, in Yucatec Maya and related
languages, involves a prohibition against using one agreement
series (Set A) in the perfective aspect. Because agreement
is not present in the input to syntax, either a contextually
restricted DEP constraint or markedness constraint will
do, but the context can only be perfective (not imperfective).
Thus, all three aspect splits can be analyzed as contextual
faithfulness, but only one must be; and the context of an
aspect split appears to be restricted to perfective (rather
than imperfective).

Comments: 
Keywords: positional faithfulness, contextual markedness, aspect splits
Areas: Syntax
Type: Manuscript

Direct link: http://roa.rutgers.edu/view.php3?roa=922