Glossary: morphology and phonology

Another word for the velar nasal.

The sounds preceding and following some other sound.

Insertion of a segment.

A structure in the larynx that covers the entrance to the trachea during swallowing.

The case associated with the subject of a transitive verb. In ergative case systems, subjects of intransitive verbs are assigned absolutive case.

In case systems, the case that indicates a state of being.

Said to occur when phonological material takes on a new function unrelated to its original and obsolete function.

Said of first person plural pronouns whose reference excludes the addressee. Contrast inclusive.

The theory that phonetic categories (and words) are represented in the mind as a set of all of the examples of the category that the speaker has produced and/or heard.

Said of compound words without a head. For example, a hot dog is not a type of dog. See also head.