Theme vowels and a root-based approach to morphology: evidence from Brazilian Portuguese

Abstract

This research makes use of data from thematic vowels interacting with diminutives and metaphony in Brazilian Portuguese to argue for a grammatical configuration in which morphemes can merge directly at the root. This article, therefore, offers evidence in favor of an approach to morphological theory based on the root as the primitive unit, as proposed by Distributed Morphology. In short, this paper argues that, by starting from the root, we have simple answers to complex phonological problems. Therefore, this work diverges from theories that argue that the stem is the primitive, and which assume that minimal category-neutral units are unmotivated and unnecessary.