How functionless is junk, and how useful is exaptation?
Probing the -
i/esc
- morpheme
We address the issue of the notion of linguistic functionality in relation to exaptation. Our case is the evolution of the -i/esc- morpheme from Latin to Romance. The exaptive nature of the -
i/esc
- morpheme used to be considered the historical linguists’ chestnut: from Latin inchoative marker, the -
i/esc
- morpheme was said to have evolved into a stress-aligning device. The validity of this proposal is questioned in the light of Lass’s definitions of exaptation (Lass 1990 and 1997). Drawing on the historical evolution of the -
i/esc
- morpheme, we identify several issues with the core concepts of exaptation: (i) junk, (ii) innovation and (iii) functionality. We then argue that exaptation, in its strictest definition (Lass 1990), cannot be said to apply to -
i/esc-.
Article outline
- 1.Introduction and outline
-
2.The -i/esc- morpheme as a prototypical case of exaptation?
- 2.1The historical data
- 2.2A case for exaptation?
- 3.Problems with an account in terms of exaptation
- 3.1The notion of ‘junk’
-
3.2‘Conceptual novelty’ (Lass 1990: 80)
- 3.3What function does the -
i/esc
- morpheme have?
-
4.If not exaptation, what else?
- 5. Back to exaptation and the -
i/esc
- morpheme: A dead end?
-
6.Discussion: (re)|(de)|fining exaptation
-
Acknowledgements
-
Notes
-
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