Phonology and syntax: a shifting relationship

This article surveys the range of patterns of interaction which have existed between phonological and syntactic research, especially in the 20th century, both in work published during this period, and in the articles collected in the Special Issue to which this piece forms an introduction. For each stage in the development of linguistic thought, we consider whether the dominant conception of language has been fostered by phonologists or syntacticians, and whether phonology and syntax have been judged to be structurally analogous. We show that linguists’ views of the relationship between the two disciplines often hinge on their opinions concerning the autonomy of language, on the extent to which they perceive phonological acquisition to be subject to Plato's Problem, and even on the extent to which phonology and syntax are thought to have evolved independently or connectedly. We note that, paradoxically, linguists adopting radically diverging standpoints on these issues may nonetheless come to similar conclusions regarding the existence of putative structural analogies between phonology and syntax.