A novel argument for PF operations: STAMP morphs in Gã

Abstract

A key question facing piece-based syntactic morphological frameworks is whether morphophonological structure may be read directly from syntactic structure, as in Spanning, or if postsyntactic operations mediate this relationship, as in Distributed Morphology. Additionally, it is necessary to determine whether linear order is relevant for determining locality. This paper brings new data from STAMP portmanteaux in Gã (Kwa, Ghana) to bear on this question. I demonstrate that STAMP portmanteaux are composed of terminal nodes which do not form a syntactic constituent, and thus are incompatible with syntax-only morphological frameworks like Spanning. PF operations which are sensitive to linear locality, like Fusion in DM, are necessary to generate the portmanteaux. Instrumental adjuncts are additionally demonstrated to block portmanteaux formation, confirming that linear locality is crucial for calculating portmanteaux. Gã STAMP portmanteaux thus provide empirical support for PF operations that are sensitive to linear locality.