A Construction-Based Approach to Multiple Exponence

Abstract

This study brings to bear Optimal Construction Morphology (Caballero and Inkelas 2013) on the phenomenon of multiple exponence (ME), in which the same morphological property is exponed by more than one morphological component of a complex word. ME is a prevalent phenomenon that should receive central coverage in any morphological theory. OCM is well suited to capture ME through its intrinsic architecture of local optimization choices driven by the goal of achieving a target meaning for each word that the morphological grammar is tasked with producing. Each type of ME elucidated in Harris (Multiple exponence. Oxford University Press, Oxford, 2017) is discussed and shown to be emergent from existing principles of OCM; the article pays special attention to compounding-style ME, which is argued to draw upon the same basic construction type utilized by Inkelas and Zoll (Reduplication: doubling in morphology. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, 2005) in a construction grammar approach to reduplication.