Defaults in Arapesh

Abstract

Network Morphology is a formally explicit approach to morphology which distributes information across a network in which generalizations can be optimally expressed. Generalizations become available in specific cases by the operation of default inheritance. In this paper we explore the notion of ‘default’ in morphology by means of a Network Morphology analysis of the noun classes and genders of Arapesh — a language which relies on a sophisticated understanding of defaults for a satisfactory treatment (Aronoff, 1992). Our work lends support to Aronoff's account of the Arapesh data. It also reveals a confusion in use of the term ‘default’ by linguists. In one usage of the term, the (‘normal case’) default is that which applies in the absence of blocking information; in the other, the (‘exceptional case’) default is that which applies when some exceptional factors prevent normal processes from applying and necessitate the adoption of some ‘last resort’ solution. Under one reading the default equates with the unmarked case; in the other, it is the marked case which is picked out by the same term.