The Syntax-morphology interface: a study of syncretism
Document Type: Book Chapter
Publisher URL
http://www.cambridge.org/
Abstract
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 the first 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. The Syntax-Morphology Interface argues 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.
Recommended Citation
Corbett, Greville; Baerman, Matthew; and Brown, Dunstan, "The Syntax-morphology interface: a study of syncretism" (2005). SMG published journal articles and book chapters.. Paper 14.
http://epubs.surrey.ac.uk/smgjournal/14
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Comments
This is an excerpt from: The Syntax-Morphology Interface A Study of Syncretism Series: Cambridge Studies in Linguistics (No. 109) (ISBN-13: 9780521821810 | ISBN-10: 0521821819) Contents: 1. Introduction; 2. Characteristics of syncretism; 3. Cross-linguistic typology of features; 4. Formal representation; 5. Formal framework and case studies; 6. Conclusion; Appendixes.