Abstract
This study examines allomorphy in vowel selection in Hebrew. We address the formation of adjectives and passive verbs in a specific morphological pattern with stem-medial glottals. While the normative vowel that precedes the glottal is o, there are cases where it is colloquially u. We provide empirical evidence for this variation (or lack thereof), arguing that vowel selection results from the distinction between adjectives and passive verbs and, more generally, from the component of the grammar where they are derived, the lexicon and the syntax. Studies of Hebrew have shown that a has a more morphological-lexical status, as it is typical of word formation processes, while e has a phonological status as it is the default vowel in epenthesis. A previous study has also shown that a is more typical of the lexicon and e is more typical of the syntax. We propose a similar distinction between o and u; u tends to be selected in passive formation in the syntax, while o is selected for words stored in the lexicon. In addition, we claim that the occurrence of each allomorph is triggered by uniformity to other forms in different paradigms that are taken into account in word formation. The study provides further evidence to a new type of allomorphy, whose evidence for conditioning is not purely phonological or morpho-syntactic, but rather depends on the locus of word formation. It highlights the strong correlation between form, meaning and the relevant grammatical component in word formation.
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Notes
There are also passive verbs that are formed in niCCaC based on CaCaC transitive verbs. The status of niCCaC is irregular with respect to both morpho-phonology and the types of verbs that it hosts, in comparison to other binyanim (see Berman 1979; Schwarzwald 1996, 2008; Bat-El 2002; Doron 2003, among others). This discussion is beyond the scope of this paper.
Some adjectival passives entail the existence of an entity that causes the event while others do not, as discussed in the above mentioned references. This distinction is irrelevant for the purposes of the current study. See Freidin (1975), Bresnan (1982), Grimshaw (1990), Carrier and Randall (1992), Borer (1998), Doron (1999, 2013), Baker (2003), among many others for further discussion of the operation.
For example, the Hebrew verb kilel ‘curse’, for example, has no reciprocal counterpart that denotes ‘curse each other’.
It is important to note, though, that not every lexical operation demonstrates low productivity. However, all operations that apply in the syntax are productive.
It is important note that these morphological differences distinguish between derivational processes that apply in the lexicon and in the syntax, like valence changing operations. Inflectional processes, that are assumed to apply mostly in the syntax, are also manifested via morphological processes, like affixation, that apply in both components. We thank the reviewers for this clarification.
Meltzer-Asscher (2011) shows that the class of adjectival passives consists of two sub-classes; for the purposes of this study we treat all adjectival passive as one group.
For the discussion of glottals in Hebrew, see for example, Morag (1977), Bolozky (1978, 1995, 1997), Schwarzwald (1979), Blau (1981, 1986), Ravid and Shlesinger (2001), Bar-Asher (2002), Shatil (2006), Bolozky and Kreitman (2007), Gonen (2008, 2009), Faust (2005, 2013), Pariente (2012), and references therein.
In addition, it could be the case that (some) glottal consonants were not produced at all in different stages of MH therefore the term ‘weakening’ can be misleading. This study does not pretend to determine whether glottals did and do exist in Hebrew. We take it as a point of departure that some forms demonstrate the historical effect of glottals and examine to what extent the effect is active or not. We would like to thank an anonymous reviewer for pointing this out.
This change into o is historically the result of vowel lowering. This change can also be accounted for by a constraint that prohibits the ua sequence, assuming that the glottal stop is not pronounced (Faust 2005). For the purposes of this study, we do not propose which process indeed takes place, but we examine whether this change is still an active part of the grammar and to what extent. In addition, the process of vowel lowering was historically preceded by degemination and compensatory lengthening. However, since MH has no geminates, this is irrelevant for the current study.
The process of vowel lowering also applies with stem medial ʁ (e.g. mesoʁak∼mesuʁak ‘is combed’). Rhotics have a special phonological status in general (Lindau 1985; Itô and Mester 2001; Hoole et al. 2013; Savu 2013 among others) and in Hebrew (Bolozky and Kreitman 2007; Cohen 2013, 2015 among others). This merits a separate study which is beyond the scope of this paper.
The term ‘faithfulness’ is based on studies of Optimality Theory (see Prince and Smolensky 1993, among many others). Faithfulness constraints require identity across various forms that are grammatically related to each other, and therefore penalize any change. We use this term its general sense without necessarily committing our analysis to Optimality.
In niCCaC, in comparison, there was noticeable variation for other reasons that we do not discuss in this paper.
We would like to thank Abigail Amsterdamer for her help and contribution in conducting the experiment.
As noted by an anonymous reviewer, the forms that are presented as almost exclusively verbal passive forms, can be used as adjectives in specific contexts. A web search reveals that such cases are relatively rare in comparison to the forms that we classified as ambiguous. We would like to thank the reviewer for this clarification.
See Ravid (2012) and references therein for the discussion of the interaction between orthography and morphology.
We currently do not make any predictions regarding the differences between adjectives that are related or not related to verbs, but only between forms which are unambiguously adjectives and forms that are ambiguous.
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Acknowledgements
We would like to express our deep gratitude to Outi Bat-El, Tal Siloni, Noam Faust and anonymous reviewers for their useful comments and suggestions. We would like to thank Abigail Amsterdamer for her help in conducting the experiment.
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Appendix
Appendix
This appendix includes all the sentences used in the experiment, organized according to the three categories: adjectives, verbs, ambiguous forms. With the ambiguous forms, in each pair with the same form, the adjectival meaning precedes the verbal one.
Adjectives
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1.
haja ʃam jeled mevohal/mevuhal ʃe-kol ha-zman baxa
‘There was a frightened boy there who was constantly crying’
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2.
haja ʃam pesel mexoʔaʁ/mexuʔaʁ ʃe-kulam hitbonenu bo
‘There was an ugly statue there that everyone was looking at’
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3.
ha-student ha - mejoʔaʃ/mejuʔaʃ bikeʃ lekabel moʔed mejuxad ki jeʃ lo ʃaloʃ ʔavodot lehagiʃ ad maxaʁ
‘The desperate student asked for a special exam date because he had three papers to submit by tomorrow’
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4.
ledaʔati kol ha-simanim maʁʔim ʃe-medubaʁ be-naʔaʁ meʔohav/meʔuhav ʔad meʔal haʁoʃ
‘I think all signs indicate that we’re talking about a boy completely in love’
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5.
ha-netsigim ʃel ha-miʃlaxat ha-kalkalit bikʁu be-ʔezoʁ metoʔas/metuʔas jaxad ʔim ha-saʁ
‘The representatives of the economic delegation visited the industrialized area together with the minister’
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6.
ʁaʔinu ʃam binjan mefoʔaʁ/mefuʔaʁ ʃe-ʔanaxnu ʁak jexolim laxlom laguʁ bo paʔam
‘We saw a fancy building there which we can only ever dream of living in’
Verbs
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7.
biglal ʃehu kol kax meluxlax ha-sadin menoʔaʁ/menuʔaʁ be-xozka ʔal jedej hajeled
‘Because it is so dirty, the sheet is being shaken forcefully by the boy’
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8.
be-jamim ʔele ha-saxkan ha-xadaʃ melohak/meluhak ʔal jedej ha-soxnut le-tafkid xadaʃ
‘These days the new actor is being cast by the agency in a new role’
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9.
hem medabʁim ʔaxʃav ve-hamatsav ha-ze metoʔaʁ/metuʔaʁ ʔal jedej moʃe la-studentim
‘They are talking now and this situation is being described by Moshe to the students’
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10.
kol ma ʃehu masbiʁ metoʔad/metuʔad be-ʁegaʔim ʔele ʔal jedej ha-taxkiʁan
‘Everything he is explaining is being recorded at this time by the researcher’
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11.
ha-makom ha-xadaʃ ha-ze menohal/menuhal kaʁega ʔal jedej dina
‘The new place is being managed at the moment by Dina’
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12.
ha-maʔamats ʃe-jaʔiʁ maʃkia ba-pʁojekt metoʔal/metuʔal ʔal jedej ha-menahel le-davaʁ ʔexad bilvad
‘The effort Yair is investing in the project is being channeled by the manager for a single purpose’
Ambiguous forms
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13.
ʔanaxnu mexapsim bajit meʁohat/meʁuhat ve-benatajim lo matsanu klum
‘We are looking for a furnished house and in the meantime we’ve found nothing’
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14.
ha-bajit meʁohat/meʁuhat kaʁega ʔal jedej ha-meʔatsev ha-xadaʃ ʃe-saxaʁnu
‘The house is being furnished at the moment by the new decorator we hired’
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15.
hu ʔamaʁ ʃe-nahaʁ kol kax mezoham/mezuham hu makom meʔod mesukan lisxot
‘He said that such a polluted river is a very dangerous place to swim’
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16.
ha-nahaʁ ha-ze kol hazman mezoham/mezuham ʔal jedej xevʁot ʃe-maʃlixot ʔelav psolet
‘This river is constantly being polluted by the companies that dispose of waste into it’
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17.
tenase limtso ʃam ʔejze beged megohats/meguhats. ʔen li koax lexapes maʃehu ʔaxeʁ
‘Try and find some ironed item of clothing there. I don’t feel like looking for something else’
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18.
ba-zman ʃe-dina mexina ʔet ha-matanot, ha-beged ha-xadaʃ megohats/meguhats ʔal jedej moti
‘While Dina is preparing the presents, the new item of clothing is being ironed by Moti’
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19.
ʔani xoʃev ʃe-ʔekne la-jeladim ʃeli tanax mevoʔaʁ/mevuʔaʁ kedej ʃe-jihije lahem joteʁ kal
‘I think I will buy my children an annotated bible so it will be easier for them’
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20.
be-mahalax ha-haʁtsaʔa ha-pasuk ha-spetsifi ha-ze mevoʔaʁ/mevuʔaʁ ʔal jedej ha-ʁav ha-xadaʃ
‘During the lecture, this specific verse is being translated (=annotated) by the new rabbi’
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21.
lamʁot kol ha-sfekot ha-ʁevax ha-naki he- metoʔam/hametuʔam li-ʃnat 2014 ʔala be-5 %
‘Despite all the doubts the total adjusted profit for 2014 grew by 5 %’
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22.
galja meʔod smexa ʃe-ʔaxʃav hem medabʁim ve-habikuʁ metoʔam/metuʔam ʔal jedej ha-netsigim la-ʃavua haba
‘Galia is very happy that they are now talking and the visit is being coordinated (=adjusted) by the representatives for next week’
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23.
ʔadajin lo baʁuʁ ʔex jeʁaʔe naxal kiʃon ha - metohaʁ/ha - metuhaʁ ʔaxaʁej kol ha-peʔulot ha-ʔele
‘It’s still not clear how the purified Kishon river will look after all these actions’
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24.
be-misgeʁet ʃvua ʔejxut ha-sviva ha-nahaʁ metohaʁ/metuhaʁ ʔal jedej mitnadvim kimʔat kol jom
‘Within the framework of the environment week, the river is purified by the volunteers almost every day’
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Laks, L., Cohen, EG. Component-dependent allomorphy and paradigm accessibility: evidence from Hebrew. Morphology 26, 425–452 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11525-016-9288-1
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11525-016-9288-1