Morphologl Theory:An Intro: An Introduction to Word Structure in Generative Grammar (Blackwell Textbooks in Linguistics) - Softcover

"What Andrew Spencer aims to offer us here--for teh first time--is a comprehensive guide...he achieves his goals splendidly." Times Higher Education Supplement "Spencera s new book on morphology provides for the first time a complete introduction to all of the major theoretical approaches to morphology being discussed in the literature today." John Goldsmith, University of Chicago

This is the first near--exhaustive introduction to the burgeoning field of morphology in generative grammar. Presupposing very little prior knowledge of linguistics, the book guides the reader from absolute basics to the most recent theoretical developments. Written in an accessible style, and including a wealth of exercises, this textbook is designed so that it can be used either on courses explicitly focused on morphology or as an adjunct to other courses, particularly in generative syntax and in phonology. The book opens with an account of the phenomena studied by morphologists, an outline of classical problems and an introduction to the earliest models of morphology proposed within the generative paradigm. Its second part deals with the interface between morphology and phonology and includes a detailed discussion of lexical Phonology, and related models, as well as a variety of types of nonconcatenative morphology. Part III begins with a comprehensive introduction to more recent theories of word structure, including inflectional morphology. Subsequent chapters examine the interface between morphology and syntax, exploring the processes which affect grammatical relations, such as passives and causatives. Further chapters examine compounding processes and the morphology, phonology and syntax of clitic systems. The final part of the book includes a full discussion of "bracketing paradoxes" and closes with a survey of models of morphology and competing views of the place of morphology in linguistic theory.