Book contents
- Frontmatter
- Contents
- Preface
- 1 Introduction: Beginning the Journey
- PART I FIRST STEPS
- PART II THE LEXICAL ITEMS
- 4 First Stop: Introducing the Lexical Items
- 5 A Brief Side Trip: The Position of the Verb Stem
- 6 Ordering of the Lexical Items
- 7 Voice/Valence
- 8 Summary: Lexical Items
- PART III THE FUNCTIONAL ITEMS
- PART IV A VIEW OF THE LEXICON
- PART V THE END OF THE JOURNEY
- PART VI APPENDIXES
- Notes
- References
- Name Index
- Languages Index
- Subject Index
8 - Summary: Lexical Items
Published online by Cambridge University Press: 06 July 2010
- Frontmatter
- Contents
- Preface
- 1 Introduction: Beginning the Journey
- PART I FIRST STEPS
- PART II THE LEXICAL ITEMS
- 4 First Stop: Introducing the Lexical Items
- 5 A Brief Side Trip: The Position of the Verb Stem
- 6 Ordering of the Lexical Items
- 7 Voice/Valence
- 8 Summary: Lexical Items
- PART III THE FUNCTIONAL ITEMS
- PART IV A VIEW OF THE LEXICON
- PART V THE END OF THE JOURNEY
- PART VI APPENDIXES
- Notes
- References
- Name Index
- Languages Index
- Subject Index
Summary
In this second part of the book, I have argued for the following points concerning overall ordering of morphemes:
The verb stem originates within the verb phrase rather than at the right edge of the verb. Under this assumption, the ordering of verbal elements fits the pattern identified in typological studies of languages of the world.
The voice/valence morphemes are functor predicates that originate within the verb phrase. Under this assumption, the argument-affecting properties of voice/valence are accounted for, as is the fact that they do not occur with independent argument structure.
The stem raises to the voice/valence markers, and this unit in turn raises to the right edge of the verb phrase. This assumption is required to place the verb and voice/valence markers, a phonological constituent, in the correct position on the surface.
It is in these ways, and these ways only, that the surface ordering of the elements of the verb differs from their more abstract ordering.
I have further argued for the following points about ordering within the lexical items. Within the lexical complex of the verb, the scope hypothesis provides an account of fixed as well as variable orderings. Variable orderings are of three types. First, the orders A-B and B-A can both be interpreted, but have different readings. In this case, the semantic relationship between A and B is not fixed.
- Type
- Chapter
- Information
- Morpheme Order and Semantic ScopeWord Formation in the Athapaskan Verb, pp. 171 - 172Publisher: Cambridge University PressPrint publication year: 2000