Disentangling Structural Complexity In A (Challenging) Inflectional System: The Georgian Verb
Abstract
Georgian and Kartvelian languages (Zan: Mingrelian and Laz, and Svan) are well-known for the complexity of their verbal Inflectional Classes (IC). These languages combine intricate patterns for the three basic components of any verbal inflectional system: morphosyntactic features (person and number agreement), morphosemantic features (Tense, Aspect, Mood and Voice – TAM) and inflectional class traits, which are often the by-product of the association of the former two factors. Moreover, the Kartvelian verbal template displays more than twenty slots, ranging from derivational and inflectional preverbs. The functions of slots often interact (overlap) and their combinations are more than just the sum of the components, accounting for the complexity of Georgian conjugation, which we try to disentangle, using a Word & Paradigm approach. The lexicon interacts with grammar within syntax, with strong consequences for the Rules of Stem Choice component of the IC system. The way the Georgian IC system manages to balance interactions between TAMV (Tense, Aspect, Mood, Voice), valency and (Subject & Object) agreement marking through modular distribution of encoding strategies can further be highlighted by reductionist models such as PFM (Paradigm Function Morphology), in order to unravel deep simplicity beyond high complexity in the surface.
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