Multi-layered default in Ripano

Abstract

This chapter deals with morphological and syntactic defaults in Ripano (Italo-Romance), using the toolkit of Network Morphology and Canonical Typology. Analyzing noun and adjective inflection, we propose a unitary inheritance hierarchy for nominals which features a general default plus overrides specifying class-specific rules of exponence. The hierarchy accounts for gender assignment along with inflectional classes, as Ripano has overwhelmingly overt gender. This also offers the link to the syntax, because in Ripano overt gender is not context-free but depends on syntactic context, a property never described for any other language of the world. We show that one can distinguish a normal vs an exceptional-case default and conclude on how these relate to the morphological default established in the inheritance hierarchy.