Neighbour chord
Caplin Ahead!
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The info on this page is either entirely based on or mostly based on the content published in caplin-2013 or caplin-1998. Caplin is considered to be responsible for reviving interest in the analysis of form in North American music theory.
While Caplin’s impact cannot be understated, it is worth understanding that his 1998 work (and his 2013 followup) are focused on Classical music: particularly the works of Haydn, Beethoven, and Mozart. It is important to not assume other styles of music (both preceding and following the classical era, or music in other parts of the world) follow these same conventions. Music theory is descriptive, not prescriptive, and so the theory you see describing what was common in the Classical era may not apply to anything else.
In harmony, a neighbour chord is a chord that occurs in a progression that starts with a chord “X” and ends with the same chord “X” (in the same position). It can be used to prolong a harmony.[1]
You may see the neighbour chord be called a subordinate harmony.
Examples
Example 1
Even though this is commonly thought of as a cadential progression, it can be thought of as a simple prolonged progression of I. Because the melody doesn’t emphasize scale degree 1, it doesn’t sound as much like a cadence.
Example 2
References:
[1]: caplin-2013 p.12