Perspectives on morphological complexity
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Anna Maria Di Sciullo
Abstract
This paper discusses the notion of morphological complexity and differentiates language external complexity (E-complexity) from language internal complexity (I-complexity). While E-complexity is measurable on the basis of the statistical occurrences of affixes and their combinations with roots, I-complexity can be measured on the basis of the number of operations applying in the derivation of morphological forms. The author compares results from studies classifying languages based on their E-complexity to results from studies showing similarities between languages with respect to I-complexity. The comparison reveals that languages with different E-complexity may have similar I-complexity. The author revisits results from psycholinguistic and parsing experiments and discusses how the two sorts of complexity can be reduced. Finally, the role of I- and E-complexity for the understanding of the relation between the language faculty and the external systems is considered.
Abstract
This paper discusses the notion of morphological complexity and differentiates language external complexity (E-complexity) from language internal complexity (I-complexity). While E-complexity is measurable on the basis of the statistical occurrences of affixes and their combinations with roots, I-complexity can be measured on the basis of the number of operations applying in the derivation of morphological forms. The author compares results from studies classifying languages based on their E-complexity to results from studies showing similarities between languages with respect to I-complexity. The comparison reveals that languages with different E-complexity may have similar I-complexity. The author revisits results from psycholinguistic and parsing experiments and discusses how the two sorts of complexity can be reduced. Finally, the role of I- and E-complexity for the understanding of the relation between the language faculty and the external systems is considered.
Chapters in this book
- Prelim pages i
- Table of contents v
- Foreword & acknowledgments vii
- Editors’ introduction ix
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Part I. Regularity, irregularity, and analogy
- Arguments from Lovari loan-verb adaptation for an analogy-based analysis of verbal systems 3
- Possible and impossible variation in Hungarian 23
- Variation in the possessive allomorphy of Hungarian 51
- Revisiting exocentricity in compounding 65
- A constructionist account of the Modern Dutch adnominal genitive 83
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Part II. The role of frequency in morphological complexity, morphological change and language acquisition
- Perspectives on morphological complexity 107
- Morphological complexity and unsupervised learning 135
- A working typology of multiple exponence 163
- Linguistic self-regulation 189
- Suffix predictability and stem transparency in the acquisition of German noun plurals 217
- Acquisition of German diminutive formation and compounding in a comparative perspective 237
- Index 265
Chapters in this book
- Prelim pages i
- Table of contents v
- Foreword & acknowledgments vii
- Editors’ introduction ix
-
Part I. Regularity, irregularity, and analogy
- Arguments from Lovari loan-verb adaptation for an analogy-based analysis of verbal systems 3
- Possible and impossible variation in Hungarian 23
- Variation in the possessive allomorphy of Hungarian 51
- Revisiting exocentricity in compounding 65
- A constructionist account of the Modern Dutch adnominal genitive 83
-
Part II. The role of frequency in morphological complexity, morphological change and language acquisition
- Perspectives on morphological complexity 107
- Morphological complexity and unsupervised learning 135
- A working typology of multiple exponence 163
- Linguistic self-regulation 189
- Suffix predictability and stem transparency in the acquisition of German noun plurals 217
- Acquisition of German diminutive formation and compounding in a comparative perspective 237
- Index 265
