160133 VO Lecture on Morphology (2024W)

This year's VO Morphologie continues our focus on root/stem allomorphy—specifically, the concept of "stems": distinct phonological forms with a fixed distribution. Affixes would be then added to these stems, with a lesser amount of morphophonological complexity.

Last year, we explored the development of stem formation and distribution from Latin to Romance. This year, we shift to older Indo-European languages themselves, known for their intricate stem patterns. Our focus is on the stem distribution (grammatically motivated; phonologically motivated; unmotivated/"morphomic") and stem formation patterns (concatenative and non-concatenative processes; unpredictability of morphological procedure).

Older Indo-European languages and their grammatical traditions have driven the "morphomic revolution" in theoretical morphology. One synonym for everything "morphomic", "Priscianic formation", was used by Peter H. Matthews in reference to the Latin future participle in -urus, and Priscian's treatment thereof. We introduce data from these languages and their analysis by pre-modern grammarians. Specifically, we study:

1. **Sanskrit** as analyzed by Pāṇini, who reduces morphological phenomena to linear concatenation of morphemes, with the surface forms then generated via substitution rules.
2. **Greek and Latin**, whose grammarians aligned more with the "word and paradigm" approach, and derived one surface word-form another surface form, sometimes conditioned by further paradigm cells. After reviewing (Pseudo-)Dionysius Thrax's foundational work, we proceed to examine detailed grammars from Late Antiquity/Byzantine times:
- Greek: Theodosius's Kanones (late 4th century CE)
- Latin: Priscian's works (5th–6th century CE)