A Command Theoretic approach to prosodic smothering

Abstract This article presents an analysis of prosodic smothering in Makonde (Bantu). Prosodic smothering is a phenomenon where certain elements require nearby elements to be phrased together with them that would otherwise be phrased apart. Prior analyses of this phenomenon must lexically specify certain elements as triggers of smothering. This article, building on previous work, derives smothering effects from a particular approach to the syntax–prosody mapping, according to which syntactic c‐command relationships between terminal nodes determine prosodic phrasing. Whether or not an element will be a trigger of smothering ends up being by and large a byproduct of the position the element occupies in the syntactic structure.