The Syntax-Morphology Interface

A Study of Syncretism
Erscheinungsjahr 2008
ISBN: 978-0-521-10275-9
Verlag: Cambridge University Press

Buch, Englisch, Band 109, 304 Seiten, Format (B × H): 152 mm x 229 mm, Gewicht: 496 g

Reihe: Cambridge Studies in Linguistics

Syncretism - where a single form serves two or more morphosyntactic functions - is a persistent problem at the syntax-morphology interface. It results from a 'mismatch' whereby the syntax of a language makes a particular distinction but the morphology does not. This pioneering book provides a full-length study of inflectional syncretism, presenting a typology of its occurrence across a wide range of languages. The implications of syncretism for the syntax-morphology interface have long been recognised: it argues either for an enriched model of feature structure (thereby preserving a direct link between function and form), or for the independence of morphological structure from syntactic structure. This book presents a compelling argument for the autonomy of morphology and the resulting analysis is illustrated in a series of formal case studies within Network Morphology. It will be welcomed by all linguists interested in the relation between words and the larger units of which they are a part.

Autoren/Hrsg.

Baerman, Matthew

Brown, Dunstan

Corbett, Greville G.

Fachgebiete

• Geisteswissenschaften Sprachwissenschaft Grammatik, Syntax, Morphologie

Inhaltsverzeichnis

Preface; List of abbreviations and symbols; 1. Introduction; 2. Characteristics of syncretism; 3. Cross-linguistic typology of features; 4. Formal representation; 5. Formal framework and case studies; 6. Conclusion; References; Indexes.

Über Autor(innen)

Brown, Dunstan
Dunstan Brown is Lecturer in Linguistics at the University of Surrey.

Corbett, Greville G.
Greville G. Corbett is Distinguished Professor of Linguistics at the University of Surrey.

Baerman, Matthew
Matthew Baerman is Research Fellow in Linguistics at the University of Surrey.