STUDIES IN RUSSIAN MORPHOLOGY: II. VOWEL-ZERO ALTERATIONS IN DERIVATION,
Abstract
The memorandum analyzes the vowel-zero alternations of contemporary standard Russian, with emphasis on those alternations that are specific to the derivational (as opposed to the flexional) system. A brief introduction sketches the theoretical generative framework within which the specific techniques of word-formation are considered, and provides a condensed survey of flexional vowel-zero alternations as a contrasting background to the bulk of the memorandum. It is shown that there are two types of vowel-zero alternation in the Russian derivational system. In the first type, a flexional-level vowel-zero morphophoneme is stabilized as either a full vowel or as zero in the course of derivation. In the second type, a full vowel in the derivational base alternates with zero in the derived word, or vice versa. The existence of a vowel-zero morphophoneme on the derivational level is suggested as an explanation for certain of these alternations. (Author)
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- May 01, 1967
- Accession Number
- AD0652200
Entities
People
- D. S. Worth
Organizations
- RAND Corporation