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In:Morphology and Meaning: Selected papers from the 15th International Morphology Meeting, Vienna, February 2012
Edited by Franz Rainer, Francesco Gardani, Hans Christian Luschützky and Wolfgang U. Dressler
[Current Issues in Linguistic Theory 327] 2014
► pp. 289–302

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Root transparency and the morphology-meaning interface

Data from Hebrew

 | Levinsky College of Education, Tel Aviv
Published online: 27 February 2014
DOI logo with link
https://doi.org/10.1075/cilt.327.20ser
The paper concerns the structural factor of ‘root transparency’ in relation to the morphology-meaning interface in the mental lexicon of Hebrew. Semitic root structure was analyzed by comparing responses of native speakers of Hebrew on a set of written tasks. Target items included both nouns derived from transparent full triconsonantal roots (e.g. migdal “tower” from the root g-d-l) and nouns derived from more opaque defective biconsonantal roots (e.g. taxazit “forecast” from the root x-z-y). Responses to items based on full roots demonstrated that they were across-the-board more accessible and easier to process than their defective counterparts. Moreover, the difference between performance on items derived from full compared with defective roots was found to interface with phonology, semantics, and syntax, as well as with familiarity/frequency. These results indicate that root transparency plays an important and pervasive role in the mental lexicon of Hebrew.
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