ZERO DERIVATION AS A THEORETICAL CHALLENGE TO MORPHEME-BASED MODELS OF ENGLISH MORPHOLOGY

Abstract

The study explains the place of zero derivation (conversions) in English morphology in general, as well as its representation in the theory of the zero morpheme (∅) in IA models, particularly in Distributed Morphology (DM). Whereas IA theories assume that any category change requires the presence of structure and licensing by means of morphemic insertion, even in cases where no phonology is provided, the present study questions whether the existence of such structures has been considered necessary. The research utilizes the qualitative theoretical comparison of conversion examples in English under two different theoretical constructs: Item-and-Arrangement (Distributed Morphology) and Word-and-Paradigm (A-Morphous Morphology). Two theoretical constructs are discussed regarding structural assumptions, descriptive adequacy, and the theoretical economy of both models. Results indicate that, while IA/DM models rely on null categorical heads to sustain structural homogeneity, they have been considered by increased theoretical complexity. Word-and-Paradigm models do not involve zero morphemes in their explanations of conversions since they rely on the notion of lexical relatedness; however, descriptive adequacy is characteristic of both models, therefore Word-and-Paradigm models prove more economical.