Canonical Typology, Suppletion, and Possible Words

Datos Bibliográficos

ID2956624
AutoresGreville G Corbett (0000-0002-2667-9870, University of Surrey, autor de correspondencia)
Año2007
Volumen83
Número1
Páginas8-42
Fecha de publicación2007-03-01
Peer ReviewedSí
Open AccessSí
TipoARTICLE
RevistaLanguage (JOURNAL)
Identificadores de la revistaISSN: 0097-8507 • E-ISSN: 1535-0665
EditorialProject MUSE (PUBLISHER • US)
DOI10.1353/lan.2007.0006
OpenAlexW2020822911
IdiomaEN
Citas recibidas101
Referencias citadas60

I specify a typology for the extreme of inflectional morphology, namely suppletion (as in go ~ went). This is an unusual enterprise within typology, and it requires a 'canonical' approach. That is, I define the canonical or best instance, through a set of converging criteria, and use this point in theoretical space to locate the various occurring types. Thus the criteria establish the dimensions along which specific instances of suppletion are found, allowing me to calibrate examples out from the canonical. The criteria fall into two main areas, those internal to the lexeme and those external to it. Moreover, I find interactions with other morphological phenomena and discuss four of them: syncretism, periphrasis, overdifferentiation, and reduplication. These remarkable instances of suppletion, particularly when in interaction with other phenomena, extend the boundary of the notion 'possible word'. Besides laying out the possibilities for the specific phenomenon of suppletion, I show how a canonical approach allows progress in typology, even in the most challenging areas

Boundary (topology · Geometry · Lexeme · Linguistic typology · Linguistics · Non canonical · Point (geometry · Set (abstract data type · Typology · Computer Science · Historical Linguistics and Language Studies · Linguistics and Discourse Analysis · Mathematics · Syntax, Semantics, Linguistic Variation · History · Philosophy