Belyaev, Oleg: Rethinking lexical integrity: Phrase-level and word-level case morphology

In this paper, I provide a typological argument in favour of preserving lexical integrity in LFG, based on the behaviour of case markers in languages of the world. I demonstrate that case systems that conform to the definition of morphology case (m-case) as proposed in work by Otoguro and Spencer cannot have phrasal scope; conversely, only m-cases may trigger NP-internal concord. I interpret this findings as pointing to a principal distinction between morphology and syntax, with the domain of morphology limited compared to the traditional view: only features showing complex paradigmatic behaviour are truly morphological. I further evaluate three possible ways to account for this distinction in modern LFG, and conclude that neither is fully acceptable, although recent work in lexical sharing and L(R)FG may be promising in this respect.

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April 25, 2022