John Benjamins Publishing Company
Emergent morphology
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Abstract
This paper examines implications for morpho-phonology of a model that minimizes the role of an innate linguistic endowment in grammar formation. ‘Bottom-up’ learning results in mental representations that form sets from perceived morphs but do not involve abstract ‘underlying’ representations. For production, syntactic/semantic features (S-features) identify morphs to be compiled into words. When multiple morphs bear the same S-feature, the grammar must select among the possible contenders. Selection involves phonological regularities or sub-regularities and morpho-phonological as well as idiosyncratic choice; when all else fails the default morph is selected. The model unifies the formal characterization of suppletion, sub-regularities, allophonic patterns, as well as unifying suppletion and zero morphs. Examples come from English, Southern Min, Yoruba, and Kinande, and other languages.
Abstract
This paper examines implications for morpho-phonology of a model that minimizes the role of an innate linguistic endowment in grammar formation. ‘Bottom-up’ learning results in mental representations that form sets from perceived morphs but do not involve abstract ‘underlying’ representations. For production, syntactic/semantic features (S-features) identify morphs to be compiled into words. When multiple morphs bear the same S-feature, the grammar must select among the possible contenders. Selection involves phonological regularities or sub-regularities and morpho-phonological as well as idiosyncratic choice; when all else fails the default morph is selected. The model unifies the formal characterization of suppletion, sub-regularities, allophonic patterns, as well as unifying suppletion and zero morphs. Examples come from English, Southern Min, Yoruba, and Kinande, and other languages.
Chapters in this book
- Prelim pages i
- Table of contents vii
- About the Authors ix
- How are words related? 1
- Paradigms at the interface of a lexeme’s syntax and semantics with its inflectional morphology 27
- A postsyntactic morphome cookbook 59
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Discussion 1
- Syncretism in paradigm function morphology and distributed morphology 95
- Phase domains at PF 121
- The costs of zero-derived causativity in English 163
- Spans and words 201
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Discussion 2
- Building words 223
- Emergent morphology 237
- Morphology as an adaptive discriminative system 271
- Readjustment: Rejected? 303
- Towards a Restricted Realization Theory 343
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Discussion 3
- We do not need structuralist morphemes, but we do need constituent structure 387
- Inner and Outer morphology in Greek adjectival participles 431
- Re-evaluating exocentricity in word-formation 461
- Affix ordering in Optimal Construction Morphology 479
- On the interplay of facts and theory 513
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Discussion 4
- Editors’ note 537
- Index 541
Chapters in this book
- Prelim pages i
- Table of contents vii
- About the Authors ix
- How are words related? 1
- Paradigms at the interface of a lexeme’s syntax and semantics with its inflectional morphology 27
- A postsyntactic morphome cookbook 59
-
Discussion 1
- Syncretism in paradigm function morphology and distributed morphology 95
- Phase domains at PF 121
- The costs of zero-derived causativity in English 163
- Spans and words 201
-
Discussion 2
- Building words 223
- Emergent morphology 237
- Morphology as an adaptive discriminative system 271
- Readjustment: Rejected? 303
- Towards a Restricted Realization Theory 343
-
Discussion 3
- We do not need structuralist morphemes, but we do need constituent structure 387
- Inner and Outer morphology in Greek adjectival participles 431
- Re-evaluating exocentricity in word-formation 461
- Affix ordering in Optimal Construction Morphology 479
- On the interplay of facts and theory 513
-
Discussion 4
- Editors’ note 537
- Index 541
