German, Dutch and English have surprisingly large sets of verbal diminutives: verbs ending in-el/... more German, Dutch and English have surprisingly large sets of verbal diminutives: verbs ending in-el/-le and carrying an attenuative and/or iterative meaning. These verbs exhibit particular properties that make them interesting for morphological theory. Focussing on Dutch data, this paper sketches the challenges that arise with respect to structure, productivity and meaning, and proposes a constructionist account that allows for a better understanding of the issues. The central notion is the schema, a generalization over the structure of complex words. In contrast to rules, whose main function is to generate new words, schemas motivate existing words by marking their structure as non-arbitrary. We discuss the modelling options this gives us and apply them to the verbal diminutives.
In this book chapter (for the forthcoming Oxford Handbook of Morphological Theory, edited by Audr... more In this book chapter (for the forthcoming Oxford Handbook of Morphological Theory, edited by Audring & Masini) we develop an account of morphology, couched in the framework of the Parallel Architecture.
Klaar zijn met de boodschappen is wel even wat anders dan klaar zijn met de liefde. Welke subtiel... more Klaar zijn met de boodschappen is wel even wat anders dan klaar zijn met de liefde. Welke subtiele betekenisverschillen onze woorden zoal kunnen hebben, snappen onze hersenen beter dan het dikste woordenboek.
Grammatical gender is a many-sided phenomenon, involving complex relations between semantics, mor... more Grammatical gender is a many-sided phenomenon, involving complex relations between semantics, morphology, phonology, and syntax. Yet, not all gender systems across the world are equally complex. This paper presents a way to assess the descriptive complexity of gender systems in natural languages, building on the typological data collected in Corbett (1991 and 2013) and applying the insights from Canonical Typology (chiefly Corbett 2006, 2012; Corbett & Fedden 2017). The result is a typologically responsible evaluation of the ways in which grammatical gender can be more or less complex. The analysis provides a descriptive basis for experimental assessments of difficulty in acquisition and processing. Moreover, it demonstrates the set-up and use of calibration tools for the complexity of a grammatical subsystem, a methodology that can be applied to other linguistic domains.
Coercion is a much-discussed topic in the linguistic literature. This article expands the usual r... more Coercion is a much-discussed topic in the linguistic literature. This article expands the usual range of cases at the most subtle and the most extreme end: it demonstrates how coercion extends into semantic flexibility on the one hand and into idiomaticity on the other. After discussing a broad variety of coercion cases in syntax and morphology and briefly reviewing the equally diverse literature, we identify three mechanisms – selection, enrichment and override – that have alternatively been proposed to account for coercion effects. We then present an approach that combines all three mechanisms, arguing that they can be unified along a single axis: the degree of top-down influence of complex structures on lexical semantics.
This volume is the first handbook devoted entirely to the multitude of frameworks adopted in the ... more This volume is the first handbook devoted entirely to the multitude of frameworks adopted in the field of morphology, including Minimalism, Optimality Theory, Network Morphology, Cognitive Grammar, and Canonical Typology. Following an introduction from the editors, the first part of the volume offers critical discussions of the main theoretical issues within morphology, both in word formation and in inflection, as well as providing a short history of morphological theory. In the core part of the handbook, part II, each theory is introduced by an expert in the field, who guides the reader through its principles and technicalities, its advantages and disadvantages, and its points of agreement and disagreement with alternative theories. Chapters in part III explore the bigger picture, connecting morphological theory to other subdisciplines of linguistics, such as diachronic change, language acquisition, psycholinguistics, and sign language theory. The handbook is intended as a guide for morphologists from all theoretical backgrounds who want to learn more about frameworks other than their own, as well as for linguists in related subfields looking for theoretical connections with the field of morphology.
German, Dutch and English have surprisingly large sets of verbal diminutives: verbs ending in-el/... more German, Dutch and English have surprisingly large sets of verbal diminutives: verbs ending in-el/-le and carrying an attenuative and/or iterative meaning. These verbs exhibit particular properties that make them interesting for morphological theory. Focussing on Dutch data, this paper sketches the challenges that arise with respect to structure, productivity and meaning, and proposes a constructionist account that allows for a better understanding of the issues. The central notion is the schema, a generalization over the structure of complex words. In contrast to rules, whose main function is to generate new words, schemas motivate existing words by marking their structure as non-arbitrary. We discuss the modelling options this gives us and apply them to the verbal diminutives.
In this book chapter (for the forthcoming Oxford Handbook of Morphological Theory, edited by Audr... more In this book chapter (for the forthcoming Oxford Handbook of Morphological Theory, edited by Audring & Masini) we develop an account of morphology, couched in the framework of the Parallel Architecture.
Klaar zijn met de boodschappen is wel even wat anders dan klaar zijn met de liefde. Welke subtiel... more Klaar zijn met de boodschappen is wel even wat anders dan klaar zijn met de liefde. Welke subtiele betekenisverschillen onze woorden zoal kunnen hebben, snappen onze hersenen beter dan het dikste woordenboek.
Grammatical gender is a many-sided phenomenon, involving complex relations between semantics, mor... more Grammatical gender is a many-sided phenomenon, involving complex relations between semantics, morphology, phonology, and syntax. Yet, not all gender systems across the world are equally complex. This paper presents a way to assess the descriptive complexity of gender systems in natural languages, building on the typological data collected in Corbett (1991 and 2013) and applying the insights from Canonical Typology (chiefly Corbett 2006, 2012; Corbett & Fedden 2017). The result is a typologically responsible evaluation of the ways in which grammatical gender can be more or less complex. The analysis provides a descriptive basis for experimental assessments of difficulty in acquisition and processing. Moreover, it demonstrates the set-up and use of calibration tools for the complexity of a grammatical subsystem, a methodology that can be applied to other linguistic domains.
Coercion is a much-discussed topic in the linguistic literature. This article expands the usual r... more Coercion is a much-discussed topic in the linguistic literature. This article expands the usual range of cases at the most subtle and the most extreme end: it demonstrates how coercion extends into semantic flexibility on the one hand and into idiomaticity on the other. After discussing a broad variety of coercion cases in syntax and morphology and briefly reviewing the equally diverse literature, we identify three mechanisms – selection, enrichment and override – that have alternatively been proposed to account for coercion effects. We then present an approach that combines all three mechanisms, arguing that they can be unified along a single axis: the degree of top-down influence of complex structures on lexical semantics.
This volume is the first handbook devoted entirely to the multitude of frameworks adopted in the ... more This volume is the first handbook devoted entirely to the multitude of frameworks adopted in the field of morphology, including Minimalism, Optimality Theory, Network Morphology, Cognitive Grammar, and Canonical Typology. Following an introduction from the editors, the first part of the volume offers critical discussions of the main theoretical issues within morphology, both in word formation and in inflection, as well as providing a short history of morphological theory. In the core part of the handbook, part II, each theory is introduced by an expert in the field, who guides the reader through its principles and technicalities, its advantages and disadvantages, and its points of agreement and disagreement with alternative theories. Chapters in part III explore the bigger picture, connecting morphological theory to other subdisciplines of linguistics, such as diachronic change, language acquisition, psycholinguistics, and sign language theory. The handbook is intended as a guide for morphologists from all theoretical backgrounds who want to learn more about frameworks other than their own, as well as for linguists in related subfields looking for theoretical connections with the field of morphology.
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