Chapter 2

For a topology of derivational paradigms

In recent times, paradigmatic approaches to word formation have become increasingly popular, but the very concept of derivational paradigm is still far from being clear and universally accepted: while paradigms are a useful construct for the treatment of inflectional phenomena, less straightforward is their adoption in the realm of derivation, which is characterized by numerous gaps and inconsistencies. The aim of our theoretical contribution is to discuss the representation that morphological entities and derivational relationships receive in paradigmatic approaches, especially those which are gaining popularity in recent developments of the research. Specifically, we will reflect on how word-internal and word-external morphological relationships are explained and modeled in different topological representations, starting from traditional organizations of cells in columns, to three-dimensional arrangements of morphological families, to schematic representations along the lines of the Construction Morphology framework and, finally, to Bybee’s multidimensional networks.