Topics at the PF Interface of Turkish

This thesis presents new data in Turkish concerning phrasing and accent representation, question particle placement, and scope-sensitive prosodic phrasing. The issues at hand are discussed and analyzed within the perspective of minimalist assumptions to syntax and the interfaces, focusing on the PF interface.;To set the record straight in terms of previous research, Chapter 2 is devoted to a detailed critical review of the relevant literature in word accent, phrase and sentence accent, and phrasing in Turkish.;Chapter 3 amends some of the shortcomings of previous research with an intonation experiment investigating the focus-neutral phrasing and intonation in Turkish. The results are described and analyzed from the perspective of a pitch accent language, and tied to recent proposals of PF mapping of prosodic phrases relying on multiple spellout, where the highest phrase in the spellout domain is phrased as a Major Phrase within another Major Phrase corresponding roughly to the VP .;Chapter 4 introduces new data concerning the placement of the yes/no question particle. After reviewing prosodic, semantic, and syntactic factors at play, it is argued that the wide focus placement of the particle follows main stress. In parallel to the main stress analysis, an analysis relying on multiple spellout is presented where the particle phrase merges with the VP and attracts the closest phrase to its specifier. Moreover, in this chapter it is shown that the landscape of pre-stressing particles including the question particle can be addressed in syntactic terms.;Chapter 5 takes up another interface issue: phrasing-induced scope-taking. It is argued that this phrasing instantiates the IP in Turkish and it is show with various locality effects and a parallelism between Japanese and Turkish that IP phrasing also has its roots in the syntax.;The main tenet in all of these explanations is syntactocentric. This approach is not to be mistaken to invade the territory of other subdisciplines, however. It is instead presented as an overall viable and effective approach to deal with problems at the interfaces to account for phenomena which Phonology or Semantics alone have to have recourse to undesired irregularities and ad hoc adjustments.