The Syntax-Morphology Interface: A Study of Syncretism

ISBN-13: 9780521821810 / Angielski / Twarda / 2005 / 304 str.

Matthew Baerman; Dunstan Brown; Greville G. Corbett

Opis

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. It will be welcomed by linguists interested in the relation between words and the larger units of which they are a part.

Recenzje

'This book is a milestone in the understanding of syncretism, and will interest both specialists and non-specialists … the existing literature on syncretism is widely documented and discussed at length before the Network Morphology model is proposed, so that the theoretical inquiry matches the quality of the empirical data. Cercles

Spis treści

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.