On binary features and disagreeing natural classes

Evidence from Cheyenne and Serbian

Datos Bibliográficos

ID20344403
AutoresMiloje Despić (Cornell University, autor de correspondencia), Sarah C Murray (0000-0002-0229-9224, Cornell University), Sarah E Murray (0000-0001-9764-4264, Cornell University), Sarah Murray (0000-0002-8665-0009)
Año2018
Volumen35
Número2
Páginas219-241
Fecha de publicación2018-06-26
Peer ReviewedSí
Open AccessNo
TipoARTICLE
RevistaThe Linguistic Review (JOURNAL)
Identificadores de la revistaISSN: 0167-6318 • E-ISSN: 1613-3676
EditorialWalter de Gruyter GmbH (PUBLISHER • DE)
DOI10.1515/tlr-2017-0025
OpenAlexW3135405223
IdiomaEN
Citas recibidas2
Referencias citadas13

In this paper we offer new arguments for bivalence of morphological features. In the domain of person, we argue in support of the system using the features [±speaker] and [±hearer], on the basis of plural marking in Cheyenne. In the domain of gender, we argue in support of the system using the features [±masculine] and [±feminine], on the basis of gender agreement in Serbian coordinate structures. The property of binary systems crucial for our proposal is that they allow combinations of disagreeing feature values, given that in such systems every morphological category is represented as a combination of two values. Our main empirical goal is to show that some languages treat such combinations of disagreeing feature values (as well as combinations of agreeing values) as natural classes (e.g., Noyer, Rolf. 1992. Features, positions and affixes in autonomous morphological structure. Ph.D. dissertation. Massachusetts Institute of Technology)

Binary opposition · Cheyenne · Epistemology · Linguistics · Natural language processing · Plural · Serbian · Categorization, perception, and language · Computer Science · History · Linguistics, Language Diversity, and Identity · Mathematics · Philosophy · Syntax, Semantics, Linguistic Variation · Artificial Intelligence