Hochfrequenz und Irregularität – zur Stammallomorphie bei (a)frz. al(l)er/(a)it. andare, (a)frz. venir/(a)it. venire und afrz. ester/(a)it. stare

Abstract

Normally, verbs showing allomorphy due to phonological changes become more regular over time through intraparadigmatic analogy. There are verbs, though, such as auxiliaries, modals or basic verbs of movement which stay irregular, obviously due to their extremely high token frequency. Especially studies with reference to Germanic languages show that irregularity often relates to a development leading to a clear(er) distinction of single forms within a paradigm. The article examines the applicability of the concept of relevance developped by Bybee (1985), the significance of token frequency and other factors discussed in studies anchored in the usage based approach with regard to the French and Italian verbs aller/andare, venir/venire and – for Old French – ester (cf. the suppletive paradigm of être) and Italian stare, considering the development from Latin to modern French and Italian.