Effects of vowel reduction on Russian and Belarusian inflectional morphology

The study investigates a series of morphological changes in Russian and Belarusian dialects provoked by homophony due to vowel reduction. The reaction to potential or actual homophony depends on the morphological category and the specific contrast involved. Either homophony is avoided by the introduction of a new non-homophonous suffix in one of the two relevant cells of the paradigm or homophony is permitted and morphological reanalysis takes place. Contrasts in number and person are supported at the cost of introducing additional allomorphy into the system. Elsewhere homophony entails reanalysis which results in more complex morphology, including partial or complete reclassification, the introduction of morphophonemic alternations, and other idiosyncratic morphological adjustments. The changes discussed are all based on the outputs of a fairly low-level phonological/phonetic process and they reveal another dimension of analogical change.

► Potential or actual homophony produced by vowel reduction causes different changes in morphology depending on the morphological category and the specific contrast involved. ► Contrast in number is maintained in declension and conjugation by the introduction of a different non-homophonous suffix. ► Homophony in suffixes elsewhere leads to morphological reanalysis, including an increase in allomorphy, the introduction of morphophonemic alternations, and partial or complete reclassification of morphological classes. ► Morphological change is provoked by a fairly low level phonological/phonetic process and reveals another dimension of analogical change.