A two-Level Approach to Morphological Structure

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A Two-Level Approach to Morphological Structure
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Journal of Germanic Linguistics · September 2008
DOI: 10.1017/S147054270800010X
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Richard Wiese
Philipps University of Marburg
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Journal of Germanic Linguistics
20.3
(2008):243–274 
doi:10.1017/S147054270800010X 
© Society for Germanic Linguistics 
A Two-Level Approach to Morphological Structure 
Richard Wiese 
Philipps-Universität Marburg 
In morphological theory, various models have been developed with 
respect to the appropriate levels of abstraction for stating morpho-
logical generalizations. This paper addresses a class of seemingly 
marginal and/or problematic phenomena in morphology and proposes 
that morphological descriptions regularly refer to two distinct levels of 
description. One is the level of “morphosyntax,” and one is the level of 
“morphophonology.” Furthermore, morphology is considered to be 
marginal if and only if the degree of isomorphy between representa-
tions on these two levels is reduced. This basic proposal is illustrated 
and tested with several central phenomena of morphology found in 
German: synthetic compounds, conversion, empty morphs, and trun-
cation. The analysis proposed here argues for the necessity of a two-
level model of morphology as an approach in which both abstract 
morphosyntax as well as more concrete morphophonology have a 
place.
*