There are no Bracketing Paradoxes, or How to be a Modular Grammarian
Heather Newell
April 2020
 

This paper has as its central concern the proposition in Marantz (1987) that Bracketing Paradoxes (BP) have deep implications for the (in)correctness of certain proposals within the domain of generative phonology. Where it differs from Marantz’ account, and from every previous account of BPs is in the absence of an appeal to ad-hoc tools to eliminate the paradoxical derivations. It is argued herein that a theory in which phonological representations are limited to linear strings (no Prosodic Hierarchy), and where phonological operations must be triggered via phonological means (no Level-specific morphological diacritics) that Bracketing Paradoxes cease to exist. The necessary conclusion arising from this analysis is that problematic derivations like BPs signal important flaws in our theoretical proposals.
Format: [ pdf ]
Reference: lingbuzz/003964
(please use that when you cite this article)
Published in: Accepted in The Linguistic Review
keywords: bracketing paradoxes. cvcv phonology, prosodic hierarchy, lexical morphology and phonology, particle verbs, reduplication, morphology, syntax, phonology
previous versions: v1 [March 2018]
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