[developers] Hacking the DELPH-IN framework for a null morpheme: a semi-success

[David Inman]

Hello developers,

I am using the irules to define a null morpheme by having prefixes and
suffixes overwrite a string (=0, 3rd person marking on a clitic complex)
when they attach to it. The irules look like this:

past-prefix-2 :=
%prefix (* =int) (=0 =int)
past-lex-rule.

clitic-plural-suffix :=
%suffix (* =ʔał) (=0 =ʔał)
clitic-plural-lex-rule.

This works and generates strings that are lacking the =0 morpheme. Except
that in the case where both a prefix and a suffix attach, the parser enters
two =0 morphemes into the parse chart and will parse it doubly. (This does
not happen for contentful roots.) If the =0 has only "suffixes" after it,
then I get one parse. If it has only "prefixes" then I also get one parse.
I think the parser sees that =0 can be overwritten either by the prefix or
the suffix so it hypothesizes it twice. I'm using the morph rules a bit
differently than intended, but is this a case that should be supported? Is
there any way around this so that I limit the parsers behavior and get one
parse?

David Inman
PhD Candidate
University of Washington Linguistics
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