Morphology in Cognitive Grammar

Basic morphological phenomena are examined from the standpoint of Cognitive Grammar, whose unified account of the many aspects of language structure allows the seamless integration of morphology with phonology, lexicon, and grammar. In this usage-based approach, structure resides in processing activity, being abstracted from usage events by the reinforcement of recurring patterns. The notion of a morpheme is viable when reconceptualized and formulated in these terms. Morphological structure is symbolic in nature, consisting in assemblies of form–meaning pairings. Among the more specific topics to be considered are the following: the nature of process morphemes; the stem/affix distinction; how this relates to compounding; morphological constructions; productivity (major vs. minor patterns); layering; phonotactic, phonological, and morphophonemic ‘rules’; and the emergence of morphological paradigms.