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In:Morphological Variation: Theoretical and empirical perspectives
Edited by Antje Dammel and Oliver Schallert
[Studies in Language Companion Series 207] 2019
► pp. 63–94

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Analyzing language change through a formalist framework

 | University of Edinburgh | LMU Munich
 | University of Edinburgh | LMU Munich
Published online: 27 June 2019
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https://doi.org/10.1075/slcs.207.03bae
This article serves as a case study on using formal morphological models to analyze systematic language change processes in inflectional morphology. By drawing on data from four Germanic varieties at two points in time (Old Swedish, Övdalian, Old High German and Visperterminen Alemannic) and applying the concepts of paradigm linkage theory to them, we are able to exemplarily monitor and model changes concerning case syncretism in nominal inflection in a way that is more differentiated than previous analyses. Thus, while the pure empirical results on Germanic morphology already are revealing by themselves, we also provide both a diachronic extension to formal morphology as well as finer granularity and appropriateness of description to historical linguistics as a whole.
Article outline
  • 1.Motivation and overview
  • 2.Theory: Formal inflectional models
  • 3.Synchronic and diachronic analysis
    • 3.1Traditional inflection classes
    • 3.2Content paradigms
    • 3.3Realized paradigms
    • 3.4Form paradigms
  • 4.Summary
  • 5.Outlook
  • Notes
  • References
  • Appendix
References (21)
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