A Morphological Typology of Non-Root Alternations: Invasion, Suppletion, and Allomorphy

Abstract

This dissertation investigates analogy, with the goal being to establish an empirical and theoretical basis for determining which factors influence analogical changes. It centers on an understudied set of phenomena known as non-root intra-paradigmatic alternations, with a specific emphasis given to those alternations whose distributions do not conform to natural classes. Overall, this dissertation aims to (i) demonstrate the value of studying non-root intra-paradigmatic alternations, (ii) set a basis for constraining analogical change by examining these irregular alternations, and (iii) show how different factors affect the directionality of paradigmatic leveling.

By examining a wide range of language data, this dissertation provides novel contributions pertaining to non-root alternations and their interaction with analogical change. Firstly, it presents a full typology of non-root alternations, based on the different origins from which they arise. This dissertation argues that two types of morphological phenomena, affixal and synthetic-analytic alternations, show similar characteristics both in terms of their diachronic development and synchronic distribution. Treated together, close examination of these distributions provides insights into the motivations for analogical change and the synchronic structure of grammar.

Additionally, this dissertation demonstrates that irregular alternations are governed by abstract generalizations which should be extendable to new lexical items. By providing a detailed diachronic account for the development of periphrasis in the Latin verb nōlō ‘I do not want’, it shows that synthetic-analytic alternations can be extended analogically on the basis of abstract generalizable patterns. Furthermore, this dissertation investigates the interaction of irregular distributions with analogical change, focusing on how paradigmatic leveling has affected the distribution of the -sc- suffix in several varieties of Romance. In doing so, it posits several biases involving frequency and a desire to adhere to natural morphosyntactic classes which provide a basis for explaining the attested directionality of change.