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What determines constraints on the relationships between roots and lexical categories?

Evidence from Choctaw and Cherokee

Abstract

Evidence from Amerindian languages suggests that there are roots that have no inherent lexical category and roots that do. Both can co-exist in a single language. Acategorial roots, typical of Cherokee, have semantic content, but lexical category does not emerge until the level of the grammatical word. Words that share lexical roots are not predictable in their relationships. A different type of root, exemplified in Choctaw, places robust restrictions on its derivations. These roots predict not only a verb-noun correspondence, but also the semantic type of derivation. Nouns derived from verbs utilize the argument structure of the related verb to determine semantic type. Predicative roots with no argument structure have no predictable correspondences; those derivations are simply examples of conversion.

Abstract

Evidence from Amerindian languages suggests that there are roots that have no inherent lexical category and roots that do. Both can co-exist in a single language. Acategorial roots, typical of Cherokee, have semantic content, but lexical category does not emerge until the level of the grammatical word. Words that share lexical roots are not predictable in their relationships. A different type of root, exemplified in Choctaw, places robust restrictions on its derivations. These roots predict not only a verb-noun correspondence, but also the semantic type of derivation. Nouns derived from verbs utilize the argument structure of the related verb to determine semantic type. Predicative roots with no argument structure have no predictable correspondences; those derivations are simply examples of conversion.

Chapters in this book

  1. Prelim pages i
  2. Table of contents vii
  3. Acknowledgments ix
  4. List of contributors xi
  5. Lexical Polycategoriality: Cross-linguistic, cross-theoretical and language acquisition approaches 1
  6. Part I. Polycategoriality
  7. The flexibility of the noun/verb distinction in the lexicon of Mandinka 35
  8. Derivationally based homophony in French 59
  9. Categorial flexibility as an emergent phenomenon 79
  10. Part II. Polycategoriality across Amerindian languages
  11. Polycategoriality and hybridity across Mayan languages 101
  12. Polycategoriality and zero derivation 155
  13. What determines constraints on the relationships between roots and lexical categories? 175
  14. Part III. Polycategoriality across Austronesian and Australian languages
  15. Lexical and syntactic categories in Nêlêmwa (New Caledonia) and some other Austronesian languages 207
  16. Two classes of verbs in Northern Australian languages 243
  17. Part IV. Linguistic analysis in the light of acquisition data
  18. The ontology of roots and the emergence of nouns and verbs in Kuikuro 275
  19. Flexibles and polyvalence in Ku Waru 307
  20. Word class distinctiveness versus polycategoriality in Modern Hebrew 343
  21. Part V. Lexical categories and polycategoriality in acquisition
  22. Noun and Verb categories in acquisition 381
  23. Semantic discrimination of Noun/Verb categories in French children aged 1;6 to 2;11 413
  24. The acquisition of action nouns in Yucatec Maya 443
  25. Author index 467
  26. Language index 473
  27. Subject index 475
Lexical Polycategoriality
This chapter is in the book Lexical Polycategoriality
https://doi.org/10.1075/slcs.182.07haa

Chapters in this book

  1. Prelim pages i
  2. Table of contents vii
  3. Acknowledgments ix
  4. List of contributors xi
  5. Lexical Polycategoriality: Cross-linguistic, cross-theoretical and language acquisition approaches 1
  6. Part I. Polycategoriality
  7. The flexibility of the noun/verb distinction in the lexicon of Mandinka 35
  8. Derivationally based homophony in French 59
  9. Categorial flexibility as an emergent phenomenon 79
  10. Part II. Polycategoriality across Amerindian languages
  11. Polycategoriality and hybridity across Mayan languages 101
  12. Polycategoriality and zero derivation 155
  13. What determines constraints on the relationships between roots and lexical categories? 175
  14. Part III. Polycategoriality across Austronesian and Australian languages
  15. Lexical and syntactic categories in Nêlêmwa (New Caledonia) and some other Austronesian languages 207
  16. Two classes of verbs in Northern Australian languages 243
  17. Part IV. Linguistic analysis in the light of acquisition data
  18. The ontology of roots and the emergence of nouns and verbs in Kuikuro 275
  19. Flexibles and polyvalence in Ku Waru 307
  20. Word class distinctiveness versus polycategoriality in Modern Hebrew 343
  21. Part V. Lexical categories and polycategoriality in acquisition
  22. Noun and Verb categories in acquisition 381
  23. Semantic discrimination of Noun/Verb categories in French children aged 1;6 to 2;11 413
  24. The acquisition of action nouns in Yucatec Maya 443
  25. Author index 467
  26. Language index 473
  27. Subject index 475
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