Proceeding of ConSOLE 33
Published in LUCL, 2025
The aim of this paper is to propose a new approach to bracketing paradox phenomena in the framework of Distributed Morphology (Halle & Marantz 1993). Although in English, the comparative suffix -er does not attach to a trisyllabic adjective, unhappier is exceptionally possible. Focusing on the negative prefixes un- and in-, we argue that the exceptional comparative form is attributed to the timing of prefixation of un-. We give some suggestive empirical evidence from the perspectives of (morpho-)phonology and semantics.
Recommended citation: Nagano, Taika and Kanta Tateno (2025) "Morpho-semantic notes on unhappier", in Proceedings of the 33rd Edition of the Conference of the Student Organisation of Linguistics in Europe (ConSOLE 33), Federica Longo, Leonardo Russo Cardona, Tommaso Sgrizzi, and Hadis Tamleh Eds., Leiden University Centre for Linguistics (LUCL), pp. 248-257.
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