1. Form in flux: The development of exceptional degree morphology in Bulgarian and Macedonian.
- Author
-
Chidambaram, Vrinda
- Subjects
SLAVIC languages ,NATURAL languages ,ADJECTIVES (Grammar) ,MORPHEMICS ,NOUNS - Abstract
This paper focuses on two South Slavic languages, Bulgarian and Macedonian, which are famously exceptional among Slavic languages for having no case declension on non-pronominal nouns or adjectives and for having post-nominal articles. In this paper, I explore a different (and far less recognized) property of these languages that also makes them distinctive, not only among Slavic languages but among most, if not all, natural languages. I trace the historical development of the Bulgarian and Macedonian degree morphemes po- (comparative) and naj- (superlative), which are not only of interest from a traditional philological perspective but furthermore present complex issues with respect to a synchronic analysis of degree adjective morphology. Specifically, I address Bobaljik's (2012) Containment Hypothesis, which states that superlative degree modifiers are morphologically derived directly from comparative degree modifiers. I investigate the Bulgarian and Macedonian degree quantifier series 'many-more-most' – Bg: mnogo-poveče-najmnogo and Mac: mnogu-poveќe-najmnogu – which appear straightforwardly to contradict his claim and provide evidence that this exception arose due to a diachronic shift which may still be underway. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
- Published
- 2024
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