New LrFG paper on Latin declension

On By Ash AsudehLeave a comment

The first published version of our work on Latin declension, presented at LFG 2024, is available at lrfg.online on the papers page.

Fusional morphology, metasyncretism, and secondary exponence: A morphemic, realizational approach to Latin declension

Abstract: Using Latin as a case study, we show that Lexical-Realizational Functional Grammar (a union between a morpheme-based realizational morphology and the nonderivational, constraint-based syntactic framework of Lexical-Functional Grammar) is able to offer insights into two fundamentally important morphological phenomena. The first of these is metasyncretism, which is of particular interest because it is a (putative) paradigmatic effect, yet LrFG does not have paradigms as theoretical objects. Syncretism is captured via cascading macros, such that a macro for one case value may also call another macro with a different case value, leading to case containment which models a feature hierarchy. We also use the same approach for gender and number. Metasyncretism is handled through a single vocabulary item mapping to a disjunction of two or more possible exponents. The second phenomenon of interest is secondary exponence (or morphological conditioning). This is handled through the addition of constraints to the (relevant) vocabulary items corresponding to their conditioning environments.

Direct links:
1. https://lrfg.online/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/Asudeh-et-al-LFG2024-Paper-1.pdf
2. https://lfg-proceedings.org/lfg/index.php/main/article/view/49

New LrFG paper on English comparatives and superlatives

On By Ash AsudehLeave a comment

The story of er, the first published version of our work on English more/-er and most/-est, presented at LFG 2024, is available at lrfg.online on the papers page.

Abstract: The English comparative -er is a particular challenge for contemporary morphological analysis. The comparative and superlative in English are in an ABB suppletion relationship, which strongly suggests a containment relationship. This in turn suggests that -er and -est are in competition with each other. This is a challenge for both morphemic and word-based models of morphology. Word-based models are particularly challenged by competition between morphological and periphrastic exponence. Morphemic models, like LrFG (the model assumed here), have to deal with complex constraints on the affixal form. More and -er are in (mostly) complementary distribution, suggesting that they are allomorphs. The blocking of -er is not only triggered by phonology, but also by syntactic triggers and semantic triggers. Sometimes pure complementarity fails and both more and -er are licit (I am even madder and I am even more mad), but it does so in predictable ways (in contrast to true optionality). The net of all these properties is that the appearance of -er is the result of a complex competition involving two competitors (more and -er) and phonological, semantic, and syntactic conditions restricting their distributions.

Direct links:
1. https://lrfg.online/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/Asudeh-et-al-LFG2024-Paper-1.pdf
2. https://lfg-proceedings.org/lfg/index.php/main/article/view/47