interesting but completely different explanation for this is provided by Matras (2002). He claims that all the-i-verbs are results of the optional reduction of the loan-verb adaptation suffix-(V)sar. There is no doubt that there is a possibility to adapt loan-verbs productively by simply placing them in the-i-verb class (indulij 'leave' from Hungarian indul, sorakozil 'have fun' from Hungarian szórakozik etc.), but labelling such common verbs as gindij 'think', vorbij 'speak' or trajij 'live' simply as loan-verbs is somewhat audacious even if they can be traced back to Romanian and/or Hungarian words etymologically.
Abstract:The paper attempts to provide evidence that analogy-based approaches make language change, as well as unstable and variegated forms and word classes easier to grasp than they would be in a traditional synchronic framework or through a rule-based diachronic analysis. The example is the declension of the Lovari dialect of Romani, a dialectally most diverse Indo-European language that is often exposed to contact-related influences. A unique feature of Romani, the strict split between the morphology of inherited and borrowed vocabulary is seen in a new light if we examine the possible analogical processes behind the apparent erosion of this system, and the seemingly high number of inflectional nominal paradigms can be reduced to just two.
The present paper discusses two particular instances of variation in the nominal morphology of Northern Vlax Romani varieties as spoken in Hungary: the masculine oblique base and the feminine plural oblique base. The discussion is conducted in an analogical framework, relying only on surface forms and their relationships, using the notion of schemas ( Booij 2010 ), and taking it one step further. When there is a ‘weak point’ in the grammar of a language, variation may emerge and pattern-seeking may begin; the pattern-seeking processes can be interpreted and explained with reference to possible analogical connections among surface forms.
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