The morphotactics of the Limbu verb: A postsyntactic analysis of the suffix domain
Keywords: syntax, morphology, affix order, morphotactics
Abstract: Recent work has explored the idea that there is displacement of exponents in morphology (e.g. Myler
2013; Müller 2020; Kalin 2022; Gleim et al. 2022). We argue that transitive verb agreement in Limbu (Kiranti:
Nepal) provides a further argument for postsyntactic displacement of affixes. The surface position of certain
affixes is derived by displacement from an underlying prefix/inner suffix position driven by morphotactic
constraints. This accounts for patterns of displacement/doubling (familiar from Arregi & Nevins 2012, 2018)
in addition cases where displacement is blocked. This allows for a better understanding of the mapping from
syntax to PF in Limbu that does not rely on disjunctive rule blocks or multiple exponence (e.g. Stump 2017)
Submission Number: 136
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