Thoughts on morphomes, on a Scandinavian background

Enger, Hans-Olav

doi:10.1075/slcs.207.06eng

Studies in Language Companion Series

2019

DOI: 10.1075/slcs.207.06eng

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Thoughts on morphomes, on a Scandinavian background

Hans-Olav Enger

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2024

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Cited by 2 publications

References 79 publications

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The natural stability of autonomous morphology: how an attraction–repulsion dynamic emerges from paradigm cell filling

Round,

Esher,

Beniamine

2024

Morphology

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Autonomous morphology, such as inflection class systems and paradigmatic distribution patterns, is widespread and diachronically resilient in natural language. Why this should be so has remained unclear given that autonomous morphology imposes learning costs, offers no clear benefit relative to its absence and could easily be removed by the analogical forces which are constantly reshaping it. Here we propose an explanation for the resilience of autonomous morphology, in terms of a diachronic dynamic of attraction and repulsion between morphomic categories, which emerges spontaneously from a simple paradigm cell filling process. Employing computational evolutionary models, our key innovation is to bring to light the role of ‘dissociative evidence’, i.e., evidence for inflectional distinctiveness which a rational reasoner will have access to during analogical inference. Dissociative evidence creates a repulsion dynamic which prevents morphomic classes from collapsing together entirely, i.e., undergoing complete levelling. As we probe alternative models, we reveal the limits of conditional entropy as a measure for predictability in systems that are undergoing change. Finally, we demonstrate that autonomous morphology, far from being ‘unnatural’, is rather the natural (emergent) consequence of a natural (rational) process of inference applied to inflectional systems.

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The natural stability of autonomous morphology: how an attraction–repulsion dynamic emerges from paradigm cell filling

Round,

Esher,

Beniamine

2024

Morphology

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Meta-morphomic patterns in North Germanic

Enger

2021

Nord J Linguist

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The paper presents examples of meta-morphomes (a kind of morphomic patterns, involving syncretisms) in North Germanic. There has been some debate over the notion of such patterns, and the aim is therefore to present relatively clear cases. Five cases are presented, involving inflection in verbs, nouns and adjectives. The syncretisms are all ‘unnatural’; they do not make much sense for syntax, semantics or phonology. While patterns that are obvious to the linguist are not necessarily obvious to speakers, the paper presents diachronic evidence that these morphomic patterns have been noticed by speakers. At least some criticism against ‘morphomic’ analyses is based on implausible premises: An analysis in terms of features is not automatically preferable only by being possible; the idea of ‘taking morphology seriously’ is untenable; the claim that the morphomic approach is a mere enumeration of facts may involve a self-contradiction.

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Thoughts on morphomes, on a Scandinavian background

Cited by 2 publications

References 79 publications

The natural stability of autonomous morphology: how an attraction–repulsion dynamic emerges from paradigm cell filling

The natural stability of autonomous morphology: how an attraction–repulsion dynamic emerges from paradigm cell filling

Meta-morphomic patterns in North Germanic

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