The syntax-morphology interface : a study of syncretism / Matthew Baerman, Dunstan Brown, Grenville G. Corbett.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Baerman, Matthew, author.

Brown, Dunstan, author.

Corbett, Greville G., author.

Series:

Cambridge studies in linguistics ; 109.

Cambridge studies in linguistics ; 109

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Grammar, Comparative and general--Morphosyntax.

Grammar, Comparative and general.

Grammar, Comparative and general--Morphology.

Grammar, Comparative and general--Syntax.

Grammar, Comparative and general--Inflection.

Physical Description:

1 online resource (xix, 281 pages) : digital, PDF file(s).

Place of Publication:

Cambridge : Cambridge University Press, 2005.

Language Note:

English

Summary:

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.

Contents:

Cover; Half-title; Series-title; Title; Copyright; Dedication; Contents; Preface; 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; Appendix 1: Case syncretism in the World Atlas of Language Structures sample; Appendix 2: Person syncretism in the World Atlas of Language Structures sample; Appendix 3: Syncretism in two-place verbs in the World Atlas of Language Structures corpus; Appendix 4: DATR fragment for Dhasaanac case study

Appendix 5: DATR fragment for Dalabon case studyAppendix 6: DATR fragment for Russian case study; References; Author Index; Language index; Subject Index

Notes:

Title from publisher's bibliographic system (viewed on 31 May 2016).

Includes bibliographical references (p. 254-270) and indexes.

ISBN:

1-107-14574-0

0-511-12783-9

1-280-43093-1

0-511-18243-0

0-511-19997-X

0-511-30046-8

0-511-48623-5

0-511-12730-8

OCLC:

252507259