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ON THE NULL ELEMENT

ON THE NULL ELEMENT ANGEL ALONSO-CORTES The need for zero elements has been long time recognized in the linguistic literature. Starting with Saussure (1916), followed by Bloomfield (1933), who takes it from paninian grammar (the lat element, see Allen (1955) and Haas (1957)), Zellig S. Harris (1951)) and continued by the functionalist approach to grammar (Jakobson (1939)), this element plays a crucial role in the characterization of Phonology, Morphology and Syntax. When the zero element is included in a formal generative phonology some special properties come out. This paper explores some of these properties, unnoticed up to now, concluding that some rules cannot be properly formulated resorting to "zero". Zero in Linguistic Theory 1.1 Saussure (1916) is the first modern source which resorts to "zero". S. postulates signe %ero when he deals with the paradigm of Czech nouns, where gen. pi. is %en ("woman") as opposed to nom. pi. fyn-y. In this case le genitif a pour exposant %ero (p. 123) and later absence de desinence peutjouer le meme role qu'une desinence ordinaire (p. 254). Jakobson (1939) follows Saussurc in recognizing the surprising fact that "nothing" (zero) is opposed to "something". This contradictory opposition brings language in an asymmetric dualism, which is http://www.deepdyve.com/assets/images/DeepDyve-Logo-lg.png Theoretical Linguistics de Gruyter

ON THE NULL ELEMENT

ALONSO-CORTÉS, ANGEL
Theoretical Linguistics , Volume 19 (1) – Jan 1, 1993
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References (5)

Publisher
de Gruyter
Copyright
Copyright © 1993 by the
ISSN
0301-4428
eISSN
1613-4060
DOI
10.1515/thli.1993.19.1.77
Publisher site
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Abstract

ANGEL ALONSO-CORTES The need for zero elements has been long time recognized in the linguistic literature. Starting with Saussure (1916), followed by Bloomfield (1933), who takes it from paninian grammar (the lat element, see Allen (1955) and Haas (1957)), Zellig S. Harris (1951)) and continued by the functionalist approach to grammar (Jakobson (1939)), this element plays a crucial role in the characterization of Phonology, Morphology and Syntax. When the zero element is included in a formal generative phonology some special properties come out. This paper explores some of these properties, unnoticed up to now, concluding that some rules cannot be properly formulated resorting to "zero". Zero in Linguistic Theory 1.1 Saussure (1916) is the first modern source which resorts to "zero". S. postulates signe %ero when he deals with the paradigm of Czech nouns, where gen. pi. is %en ("woman") as opposed to nom. pi. fyn-y. In this case le genitif a pour exposant %ero (p. 123) and later absence de desinence peutjouer le meme role qu'une desinence ordinaire (p. 254). Jakobson (1939) follows Saussurc in recognizing the surprising fact that "nothing" (zero) is opposed to "something". This contradictory opposition brings language in an asymmetric dualism, which is

Journal

Theoretical Linguistics – de Gruyter

Published: Jan 1, 1993

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