(Extreme) Polymorphism in Occitan Verb Morphology

Dados Bibliográficos

ID21236244
AutoresFranck Floricic (Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, autor correspondente)
Ano2023
Volume8
Fascículo1
Páginas40
Data de publicação2023-01-30
Peer ReviewedSim
Open AccessSim
TipoARTICLE
PeriódicoLanguages (JOURNAL)
Identificadores do periódicoISSN: 2226-471X • E-ISSN: 2226-471X
EditoraMDPI AG (PUBLISHER • IT)
DOI10.3390/languages8010040
OpenAlexW4318483341
IdiomaEN
Referências citadas29

Polymorphism has long been recognized as a crucial dimension of the nature of language. One of the merits of dialectology and dialectologists is emphasis on the inherently variable and polymorphic nature of linguistic systems, which are always in a state of relative equilibrium and stability. The most striking features of the Occitan data that will be discussed lies in the possibility of finding various forms in a given cell in certain paradigms; more strikingly, it will be shown that two or three (even four) paradigms for one and the same (tense) verb may coexist in the same variety. It will be argued that if polymorphism is the natural state of linguistic systems, it is also anti-economic from a cognitive and processing point of view. It follows that the diachronic evolution of languages tends to develop adaptive solutions to circumvent the potential drawbacks of extreme polymorphism: “natural selection” leads to the reduction or elimination of morphological proliferation. Of course, before reduction or elimination take place, a more or less extended period of time may elapse during which a preference for some paradigmatic options may arise

Allele · Biology · Dialectology · Linguistics · Natural selection · Verb · Computer Science · Linguistic Variation and Morphology · Medieval European Literature and History · Philosophy · Phonetics and Phonology Research · Artificial Intelligence