The pre-conditions for suppletion

Kersti Börjars | The University of Manchester

Nigel Vincent | The University of Manchester

Suppletion is a phenomenon which is unique to morphology. It represents extreme non-iconicity in the relation between form and function. Here we deal with what we call proper suppletion, i.e. where one paradigm has resulted from the interaction of two previous paradigms. Our aim is to establish what the conditions are that give rise to this (partial) merger of paradigms. We provide a detailed account of the development of an adjective in the Mainland Scandinavian languages which unexpectedly shows suppletion with respect to number (and in some cases definiteness). We conclude that development of suppletion is driven by semantic properties, and that frequency is in fact a derived property. Furthermore we argue that there must be an asymmetry between the participants, with one element being dominant.

Published online: 17 August 2011
https://doi.org/10.1075/la.178.13bor

Cited by

Cited by 10 other publications

François, Alexandre

2019. Verbal Number in Lo–Toga and Hiw: The Emergence of a Lexical Paradigm. Transactions of the Philological Society 117:3 ► pp. 338 ff.

Hill, Eugen

2019. Inflectional Suppletion and Heteroclite Inflection from a Diachronic Perspective. Transactions of the Philological Society 117:3 ► pp. 372 ff.

Juge, Matthew L.

2019. The Sense That Suppletion Makes: Towards a Semantic Typology on Diachronic Principles. Transactions of the Philological Society 117:3 ► pp. 390 ff.

Julia, Marie‐Ange

2019. Supplétisme á partir du locuteur: le cas du latin agō/faciō/fiō . Transactions of the Philological Society 117:3 ► pp. 415 ff.

Kim, Ronald I.

2019. Suppletive Stem Distribution: A Diachronic Perspective. Transactions of the Philological Society 117:3 ► pp. 455 ff.

Maiden, Martin

2014. Two suppletive adjectives in Megleno-Romanian. Revue Romane. Langue et littérature. International Journal of Romance Languages and Literatures 49:1 ► pp. 32 ff.

NAGANO, AKIKO & MASAHARU SHIMADA

2014. Morphological theory and orthography:Kanjias a representation of lexemes. Journal of Linguistics 50:2 ► pp. 323 ff.

Nurmio, Silva

2017. The development and typology of number suppletion in adjectives. Diachronica 34:2 ► pp. 127 ff.

Plank, Frans & Nigel Vincent

2019. Suppletion: Questions for History and Theory. Transactions of the Philological Society 117:3 ► pp. 319 ff.

Pomino, Natascha & Eva‐Maria Remberger

2019. Verbal Suppletion in Romance Synchrony and Diachrony: The Perspective of Distributed Morphology. Transactions of the Philological Society 117:3 ► pp. 471 ff.

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