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Our research topics in more detail

Analogy-based phonology and morphology

We aim to justify (or refute) the hypothesis that there are two main types of variation (vacillation): (1) a particular linguistic (communicative) purpose can only be expressed in ‘equally ill-formed’ ways, or (2) ‘equally well-formed’ expressions compete with each other. Case (1) often leads to defectiveness (either there is no generally acceptable form, or several different forms exist that are deemed ‘odd’ by the speech community). Case (2) is conventionally dubbed ‘free variation’. It is not always simple to separate and identify the two cases. In order to identify Case (1), it is necessary to consider all the phonotactic constraints that make the possible solutions ‘odd’; in order to identify Case (2), we need to verify that the language contains sufficient quantities of patterns supporting the possible solutions. Our supposition is that if none of the cases holds water, then there is no vacillation, or, alternatively, if there is vacillation, then one of the cases must be valid. To further examine the hypothesis, we need both corpus-based statistical analyses and a more detailed description of Hungarian phonotactics. Our research into variation focuses on two areas: the borders of phonetics and phonology and the borders of phonology and morphology. Previous research concerning Hungarian is scarce in both areas both in a descriptive and in a theoretical aspect.

Morphophonology

In the field of morphophonology, our research focuses three phenomena that exhibit a high degree of variation and are related to Hungarian morphophonology in several aspects: (1) vowel harmony; (2) the appearance and quality of linking vowels; (3) the role of regularity and irregularity in stem alternations. Besides Hungarian vowel harmony, similar phenomena in related languages are also investigated. Morphological variation in Romani is also investigated, with special regard to the possible ways of proving suspected analogical effects that affect the inherited-borrowed dichotomy in the nominal and verbal inflection, which is originally very strict but seems to have begun to erode. Additional research topics: well-formedness, gradience in phonotactics, and the interaction between morphophonology and phonotactic patterns exhibiting gradience. 

The Romani language

Research into the Romani language is a sociologically significant subfield of the research group, and it is also a hugely important topic from theoretical linguistic, dialectological and documentational linguistic aspects. In addition to the theoretical considerations outlined above, we endeavour to establish a preliminary picture of the geographical distribution of the larger varieties spoken in Hungary and their internal diversity, and explore the possibilities of documenting the language using state-of-the-art methods. The current research also deals with the linguistic repertoire of Romani speakers living in Hungary.

Morphophonological problems of Uralic languages

Research into the morphophonology of Uralic languages in connection with other research conducted by the research group, particularly vowel harmony. Establishing the typological parameters of vowel harmony in Uralic languages, investigating the special problems arising in the vowel harmony of certain Uralic languages. Investigating the syllable structures of Uralic languages. Research into paradigms: agglutinative and non-agglutinative patterns in the Uralic paradigms. Defectiveness within paradigms, homonymy/polysemy, synonymy, vacillation.

Syllable structure phenomena

Analysis of syllable structure phenomena in a CV phonological framework (in English and other languages): the distribution, deletion and insertion of vowels and consonants; the distribution of glides; the alternations of liquids and their influence on vowels; the representation of syllabic consonants, [s]+consonant clusters, and clicks.

Last modified: 19.01.2021

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