Author Description
Multiple (or extended) exponence is the occurrence of multiple realizations of a single morphosemantic feature, bundle of features, or derivational category within a word. This book provides data and direction to the discussion of ME, which has gone in a variety of directions and suffers from lack of evidence. Alice Harris addresses the question of why ME is of interest to linguists and traces the discussion of this concept in the linguistic literature. The four most commonly encountered types of ME are characterized, with copious examples from a broad variety of languages; these types form the basis for discussion of the processing of ME, the acquisition of ME, the historical development of ME, and analysis of ME. The book addresses some of the most important questions involving ME, including why it exists at all.
Menrva's Summary
THE THESIS
This book investigates the phenomenon of multiple exponence (ME) to determine why it exists and how it functions within the structure of human language. Alice C. Harris, a prominent linguist, synthesizes existing literature and provides a structured framework for understanding how a single morphosemantic feature can be realized multiple times within a word. By analyzing data from a diverse array of languages, the author addresses the theoretical challenges ME poses to linguistic models and explores its implications for language processing, acquisition, and historical development.
THE SCOPE MAP
What You Will Find
- A comprehensive characterization of the four primary types of multiple exponence.
- Comparative analysis of morphological data across a wide range of global languages.
- Theoretical discussions regarding the cognitive processing and historical evolution of ME.
Scope Limits
- The text focuses primarily on morphological and morphosemantic analysis rather than broader syntactic or pragmatic implications.
- It does not provide an exhaustive catalog of every known instance of ME in all existing languages.
THE AUTHORITY PERSPECTIVE
Linguists and advanced students recognize this work as a foundational text for understanding the complexities of multiple exponence in morphological theory. Readers frequently note the academic density of the prose, which is intended for those with a strong background in formal linguistics.
Page Count:
312
Publication Date:
2017-01-24
Publisher:
Oxford University Press
ISBN-10:
0190464356
ISBN-13:
9780190464356
Linguistics
Morphology
Reference
Academic
Semantics