An important series of verbs of the second conjugation exists in Catalan, characterized by a velar obstruent between the radical and the inflectional affixes. This velar segment, which in modern Catalan acts as an extension of the radical, has a heterogeneous historical origin. In short, in certain cases it stems from the strengthening of the glide of the Latin strong perfects in -UI (where w > gw > g); in others, it is justified by the maintaining of the final consonant of the radical in certain forms of the present in verbs such as dico or stringere (DICO > dic, DICAM > diga ...); in others, finally, it is due to changes of a purely analogical nature. In order to explain the latter changes, the theoretical framework of Natural Morphology has been adopted, and the analogical processes are considered to be motivated by a set of principles of morphological naturalness or optimization. To be exact, the inflectional class stability principle, the system congruity principle, the uniformity and transparency principle, and the constructional iconicity principle.
Published on 30/09/95
Accepted on 30/09/95
Submitted on 30/09/95
Volume 10, Issue 2, 1995
DOI: 10.7203/caplletra.19.7376
Licence: CC BY-NC-SA license
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