jeff_l
(Jeff_L)
#1
202 4 Nominal and pronominal morphology
applying nominal plural ablaut to the stem-plus-suffix sequence (i.e.
applying the melody and the formative χ-f to the sequence [stem +
-aenj), with the following additional modifications: a) Degemination of a
medial geminated CC, where applicable (178.c); b) Full-V Shortening,
reducing a full V in either stem syllable (usually the second, but in a few cases
the first, e.g. t-a-mara 'ten', PI t-l-marw-en) to a short V, which can only be
/a/ because of the Η melodic component; and c) Syncope of this /a/, with
accompanying Lexical Accent Erasure.
A derivation using this model (regular componential ablaut plus ad hoc
Degemination and Full-V Shortening processes) is given in (179).
(179) Derivation ofl-hajr-αη 'acacia pods' (from Sg a-hajjar)
Although I have divided -an plurals into contracted (§4.1.2.13, above) and
ablauted (this section), the division is blurry at times. The Degemination of the
medial geminate observed in (178.c) parallels that seen in a few contracted
plurals; examples of the latter are Sg t-effar-t 'hobbles (fetters)', PI t-efr-en,
and t-asllsem-t 'she-camel', PI t-aelm-en (174.e,g). There are also many cases
of Lexical Accent Erasure in contracted plurals (171), where the erasure rule is
associated with the loss of the underlying stem-final V by VV-Contraction. In
(178), Accent Erasure is associated with another V-deleting rule, namely
Syncope.
The Degemination, Full-V Shortening, and Syncope rules, in combination
with the Η element of the melody, have the effect of producing a
uniform -CaCC- sequence from any of three distinct input shapes. When
multiple input shapes converge in a single output shape, we can reinterpret the
morphological process as ablaut based on a template -CvCC-. In this
alternative analysis, the input Sg stems are mapped onto this template, in a
fashion familiar from Arabic derivational ablaut. The derivation in this case
would be simpler than that in (179). In effect, the ablaut system would
juxtapose a spelled-out Sg stem with the PI template, and would then extract
consonants from the input and map them onto the empty C positions in the
template, treating a medial geminate in the input as a single C autosegment.
The combination [-CvCC-aen] would then be subject to the productive PI
ablaut processes, i.e. Melodic Association of and attachment of
formative χ-f. There would be no need for Degemination, Full-V Shortening,
Syncope, or Lexical Accent Erasure in this derivation.
One characteristic of templatic ablaut, e.g. in Arabic, is that obligatory C
positions not filled by transfer from the input are filled either by doubling one
/i-hajjar-asn/
/i-hajjur-an/
/i-hajar-an/
/i-hajr-an/
1-hajr-an
Melodic Association (), χ-f
Degemination, Full-V Shortening
Syncope, Lexical Accent Erasure
affixation
surface form (after Default Accentuation)
