Published by De Gruyter Mouton

Volume 40 Issue 3-4 - On the identity of roots

Issue of Theoretical Linguistics

Contents
Journal Overview

Publicly Available October 4, 2014

Frontmatter

Page range: i-vi

Download PDF

October 4, 2014

Abstract

This paper attempts to articulate the essential nature of the notion ‘root’ in the morphosyntax. Adopting a realizational (Late Insertion) view of the morphosyntactic model, the question of whether roots are phonologically individuated, semantically individuated, or not individuated at all in the syntactic component are addressed in turn. It is argued that roots cannot be phonologically identified, since there are suppletive roots, and they cannot be semantically identified, since there are roots with highly variable semantic content, analogous to ‘semantic suppletion'. And yet, they must be individuated in the syntax, since without such individuation, suppletive competition would be impossible. Roots must therefore be individuated purely abstractly, as independent indices on the √ node in the syntactic computation that serves as the linkage between a particular set of spell-out instructions and a particular set of interpretive instructions. It is further argued that the syntactic √node behaves in a syntactically unexceptional way, merging with complement phrases and projecting a √P. The correct formulation of locality restrictions on idiosyncratic phonological and semantic interpretations are also discussed.

Comments

October 4, 2014

Distributing roots: Listemes across components in Distributed Morphology

Paolo Acquaviva

Page range: 277-286

October 4, 2014

Roots don't take complements

Artemis Alexiadou

Page range: 287-297

October 4, 2014

Roots and domains

Elena Anagnostopoulou

Page range: 299-310

October 4, 2014

A monoradical approach to some cases of disuppletion

Karlos Arregi, Andrew Nevins

Page range: 311-330

Abstract

This paper, a commentary on Harley 2014, explores cases of disuppletive roots, such as destroy/destruct , persons/people , and worse/badder , the predominant approach to which is to assume that these come from different roots. We adopt a monoradical approach to such cases, claiming that they always involve the same root, but that the suppletive allomorphy is conditioned by the presence or absence of additional functional heads in the structure. We also posit that defective verbs in Spanish, an extreme case of disuppletion (whereby one of the exponents of this root is ineffable), receive a straightforward analysis as a case of contextually limited allomorphy, following Harley's postulate that certain formatives may have no elsewhere item on either the LF or the PF side (the Encyclopedic List and the Exponent List, respectively).

October 4, 2014

Against conflation

Marijke De Belder

Page range: 331-342

October 4, 2014

Wherefore roots?

Hagit Borer

Page range: 343-359

October 4, 2014

On diagnosing complement-taking roots

Jeroen van Craenenbroeck

Page range: 361-373

October 4, 2014

Arguments for a root

María Cristina Cuervo

Page range: 375-387

October 4, 2014

One advantage and three challenges to a theory of roots as indices

Noam Faust

Page range: 389-400

October 4, 2014

Roots in models of grammar

Marie Labelle

Page range: 401-414

October 4, 2014

Indices, domains and homophonous forms

Phoevos Panagiotidis

Page range: 415-427

October 4, 2014

Individuation criteria for roots

Malka Rappaport Hovav

Page range: 429-437

October 4, 2014

Generalized applicatives: Reassessing the lexical–functional divide

Peter Svenonius

Page range: 439-446

Reply

October 4, 2014

Reply to commentaries, “On the identity of roots”

Heidi Harley

Page range: 447-474

About this journal

Theoretical Linguistics is an open peer review journal. Each issue contains one long target article about a topic of general linguistic interest, together with several shorter reactions, comments and reflections on it. With this format, the journal aims to stimulate discussion in linguistics and adjacent fields of study, in particular across schools of different theoretical orientations.