<OT> New Posting: ROA-1066

[roa at ruccs.rutgers.edu]

ROA 1066-0110

A Realization Optimality-Theoretic approach to full and partial identity of forms

Zheng Xu <chsxz at nus.edu.sg>
Mark Aronoff <morphomeman at mac.com>

Direct link: http://roa.rutgers.edu/view.php3?roa=1066


Abstract:
In this paper we present a Realization Optimality-Theoretic
account of full and partial identity of forms, i.e., paradigmatic
syncretism and cases in which lexemes share the same inflectional
formative. Our approach involves both output-to-output correspond
ence constraints and realization constraints that associate
morphosyntactic feature values with morphophonological forms.
We show that Realization Optimality Theory (Xu 2007) offers
a unified account of these phenomena. Additionally, we argue
that Realization Optimality Theory has advantages over several
alternative approaches such as feature impoverishment-plus-insert
ion (Noyer 1998), rules of referral (Zwicky 1985, Stump
1993), and two different models of OT morphology proposed
by Müller (2007, 2008). We argue for an autonomous morphological
component and also discuss related issues such as the morphology-
phonology interface. We suggest that morphology and phonology
are distinct components of the grammatical architecture;
morphology precedes phonology by default while the morphological
and phonological components overlap to an extent that varies
among languages.

Comments: To appear in Martin Maiden et al (eds.) Morphological Autonomy: Perspectives from Romance Inflectional Morphology. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
Keywords: syncretism, inflectional morphology, OT morphology, realization, morphology-phonology interface
Areas: Morphology
Type: Book Chapter

Direct link: http://roa.rutgers.edu/view.php3?roa=1066