Abstract:

Morphology and phonology are often regarded as two distinct parts of grammar, but on the other hand, they have also been suggested in many literatures to share a connection much closer than expected. Looking into the range of possible interactions between morphology and phonology, and then probing for their proper linguistic treatments, would be significant both for understanding the nature of human languages and for constructing viable linguistic theories. The new book The Interplay of Morphology and Phonology, authored by Professor Sharon Inkelas, presents a thorough survey on this very topic. It brings under scrutiny the various types of morphology-phonology interactions manifested in natural languages, such as morphologically conditioned phonology, process morphology, prosodic templates, reduplication, infixation, interleaving effects, derived environment effects, phonological interference with morphology, the Bracketing Paradox, and paradigmatic effects. Expository data sets are provided for each type of these interactions, and relevant proposals for treatments are then introduced. In case of competition among different treatments on the same issue, comparisons are drawn to clearly bring out the author’s preference. This article first makes a brief summary on the basic contents of this monograph, and then gives some reflections on its potential relevance to the study of Chinese languages. At the end, this article presents some cautions against the general approach taken by the book which in essence weakens grammar modularity in exchange for analytical flexibility.

Keywords: morphology; phonology; interplay; modularity

摘要：

形态与音系是语法的两个不同方面,但是二者之间存在着紧密的关联。了解形态—音系的互动方式并探讨合理的处理方法,对于深化对语言的认识、构建语言学理论都具有重要的意义。《形态与音系的交互作用》就是一部关于这方面的综览性专著。它以形态—音系互动类型为线索,讨论了形态敏感音系、过程形态、韵律模板、重叠、中缀、交错效应、推导环境效应、音系对形态的干涉、加括号悖论、范式效应等一系列自然语言现象;针对各类现象,它都配备了具体的语言材料,介绍了相关的处理方法和理论要点,并对竞争性的观点进行了比较。本文概括该书的主要内容和特点,讨论其对汉语研究的启示,并对通过削弱模块性换取分析灵活性的处理方法提出商榷意见。

关键词: 形态, 音系, 交互作用, 模块性