Relative clause attachment and prosodic phrasing in Akan Twi and English

Abstract

This thesis investigates relative clause attachment preferences and prosodic cues in Akan Twi, a Niger-Congo language spoken primarily in Ghana. Drawing upon theoretical linguistics, psycholinguistics, and phonology, the study employs a multifaceted approach to elucidate the mechanisms underlying attachment preferences and explore the role of prosody in guiding language comprehension. Through a combination of literature review, theoretical analysis, and empirical investigation, the research aims to expound on the factors influencing relative clause processing in Akan Twi. Participants’ preferences for attaching relative clauses are examined through a sentence completion task, and prosodic features are analyzed in a production experiment to uncover their role in guiding attachment decisions. The findings of the study reveal a preference for low attachment contrary to initial expectations influenced by the Implicit Prosody Hypothesis (Fodor, 1998, 2002). Prosodic events such as pauses and pitch resets, while not overtly indicative of attachment type, provide insights into the interaction between implicit attachment preferences and explicit prosody. The analysis of prosodic cues suggests that while certain patterns may influence attachment decisions, there is variability in their usage across speakers. This research contributes to our understanding of syntactic processing in tonal languages and explicates the relationship between prosody, syntax, and attachment preferences in Akan Twi.