ABSTRACT
This chapter addresses the syntax-phonology interface and its effects on second language (L2) acquisition, highlighting the importance of taking phonology into account when considering learners’ non-target behavior. The syntax-phonology interface is shown to have implications for the acquisition of functional morphology and for aspects of clause-level syntax. In the functional domain, it is suggested that failure to acquire and/or use the L2 grammar in a native-like manner often reflects difficulties arising at this interface, rather than being attributable to phonology or syntax alone. Differences in how inflection and function words are prosodified in the native language and the L2 are shown to impact the realization of functional morphology. Studies of prosodic effects on production of inflection (tense, agreement, plural) and function words (articles) are reviewed. Clause-level syntax is also considered (relative clause ambiguity resolution, pronoun interpretation), with a focus on how prosodic factors such as stress, pause and constituent length can influence interpretation. The need for experiments to include aural presentation of stimuli as well as phonologically-controlled stimuli is emphasized, in order to attribute non-target behavior to the appropriate components of the grammar or to the interface between them.
