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In:Morphology by Serial Optimization
Edited by Gereon Müller
[Linguistik Aktuell/Linguistics Today 289] 2025
► pp. 194–224

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The reflexive in Lithuanian and other Baltic varieties

Published online: 27 November 2025
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https://doi.org/10.1075/la.289.06kus
Abstract
This paper discusses the position of the reflexive morpheme in Lithuanian and other Baltic languages. In Lithuanian, the reflexive appears at the right edge of unprefixed verbs, but is placed between the rightmost prefix and the root of the verb otherwise. I propose an analysis of the observed pattern in which the reflexive always starts out to the left of the verbal root, i.e. in the position where it surfaces in prefixed verbs. The word-final position in unprefixed verbs is claimed to be secondary, resulting from a constraint prohibiting the reflexive from being the initial element within a prosodic domain. This constraint causes rightward movement of the reflexive. The analysis developed here employs the Harmonic Serialism framework, in line with recent research applying this framework to the domain of inflectional morphology (Müller 2020, Gleim et al. 2023, Andermann 2023). The article also identifies some interesting patterns found in Lithuanian participles and in prefixed verbal forms in Curonian Latvian. An extension of the analysis is proposed to account for the data found in Curonian, and possible ramifications for Lithuanian are discussed.
Article outline
  • 1.Introduction
    • 1.1The data
    • 1.2Prefixed reflexive verbs
  • 2.The Lithuanian verbal template
  • 3.Existing approaches
    • 3.1Embick & Noyer (2001)
    • 3.2Šereikaite (2023)
  • 4.A movement-based analysis
    • 4.1The framework
    • 4.2The derivations
    • 4.3Advantages of the cyclic analysis
    • 4.4Additional evidence for LL: The Dummy Prefix Insertion
  • 5.Reflexive verbs in other Baltic varieties
    • 5.1The doubling of the reflexive in Curonian Latvian
    • 5.2Applying the copy theory of affix movement to Lithuanian
  • 6.Conclusions
  • Acknowledgements
  • Notes
  • Abbreviations
  • References
References (68)
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