MORFEMELE SUPRAPUSE DIN STRUCTURA FORMELOR FLEXIONARE: SCHIŢĂ DE SISTEMATIZARE MORFONOLOGICĂ
SUPERIMPOSED MORPHEMES IN THE STRUCTURE OF INFLECTIONAL FORMS. A MODEL OF THE MORPHONOLOGICAL SYSTEMATIZATION

Summary/Abstract: Many Romanian inflectional forms have a morphological strucure which is difficult to analyse and, as such, can be interpreted in different ways. However, they can be explained as results of some morphonological processes. Most of such forms contain, quite simply, series of superimposed morphemes. Some of them constitute portmanteaux morphemes. A detailed morphonological analysis of both the inflectional forms and the whole inflectional paradigms shows that the appearance of superimposed morphemes in the Romanian inflection is governed by strictly defined rules. Thus, two inflectional morphemes are superimposed when the final segment of the left (first) morpheme and the initial segment of the right (second) one have identical phonological properties which are relevant for the whole phonological system. All Romanian inflectional superimposed morphemes submit to two general rules which are morphonologically obligatory for every direct series of morphological segments: (1) the left morpheme with a palatal final phoneme and the right morpheme with a palatal initial vowel lead to superimposed morphemes; (2) the left morpheme with a non-front, non-closed final vowel and the right morpheme with a non-front, non-closed initial vowel lead to superimposed morphemes. Some additional rules may be formulated for the portmanteaux morphemes which concern only direct series of affixes: (1) the left affix in the form of a palatal phoneme and the right affix in the form of a palatal vowel lead to portmanteaux morphemes; (2) the left affix in the form of a non-front, non-closed vowel and the right affix in the form of a non-front, non-closed vowel lead to portmanteaux morphemes. These rules are valid for each compartment of the modern Romanian inflection, but its relevance must be verified in derivation too.

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