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When Sound Change Obscures Morphosyntax: Insights from Seediq

journal contribution
posted on 2024-03-29, 18:49 authored by Yen-Hsin ChenYen-Hsin Chen
The Formosan language Seediq displays an understudied case of morphological opacity, where a single phonological innovation has resulted in the syncretism of five Proto-Austronesian functional affixes in affirmative declaratives. How and why these affixes remain functionally intact in modern Seediq has important implications for understanding the tension and interplay between semantic transparency and morphological opacity. In this squib, I demonstrate that the marginal overlap of these affixes’ lexical subcategorization may have reduced obstacles to learnability and processing, enabling them to remain functionally distinct despite the absence of morphological distinctions. The case of Seediq therefore highlights the often-neglected fact that sound change-induced morphological opacity may obscure but not necessarily obliterate syntax.

History

Preferred citation

Chen, V. (2023). When Sound Change Obscures Morphosyntax: Insights from Seediq. Oceanic Linguistics, 62(2), 289-303. https://doi.org/10.1353/ol.2023.a913562

Journal title

Oceanic Linguistics

Volume

62

Issue

2

Publication date

2023-12-01

Pagination

289-303

Publisher

Project MUSE

Publication status

Published

ISSN

0029-8115

eISSN

1527-9421

Language

en

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