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Article published In: Approaches to Hungarian 19:
Edited by Edgar Onea and Balázs Surányi
[Journal of Uralic Linguistics 4:1] 2025
► pp. 115–143

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Linking vowels define paradigm classes in Hungarian

ORCiD logo with link | HUN-REN Research Centre for Linguistics | Eötvös Loránd University
ORCiD logo with link | Eötvös Loránd University
ORCiD logo with link | HUN-REN Research Centre for Linguistics | Eötvös Loránd University
Published online: 10 July 2025
DOI logo with link
https://doi.org/10.1075/jul.00035.svi
Abstract
In both nominal and verbal paradigms of Hungarian a vowel may occur between the stem and the suffix. The presence and the quality of this vowel is determined by a wide array of phonological, morphological, lexical, even syntactic and semantic factors. In this paper we argue that this vowel functions as a paradigmatic class marker and that this status is responsible for the differences in the behaviour of linking vowels and other vowels in suffixes.
Article outline
  • 1.Linking vowels and problems
  • 2.Paradigm classes
  • 3.Paradigm classes and vowel harmony
  • 4.Two morphological systems
  • 5.The interaction of the paradigmatic and harmonic systems
  • 6.The rounding of front vowels
    • 6.1Rounding harmony
    • 6.2The superessive
  • 7.Summary
  • Acknowledgements
  • Notes
  • References
References (31)
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